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A PENS Neuroscience School.

August 6th - August 31st, 2007

Arcachon, France

Maack Nina
Email maackneuro.mpg.de
Gender Female
Nationality Germany
Year of birth 1980
Department Systems and Computational Neurobiology
University Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology
Country (of work) Germany
Simulation Project Title Integration of flow-field signals by descending neurons in the fly visual system.
Type of model Compartmental model based network model
Description For course control, flies rely on a set of 60 visual motion-sensitive neurons per hemisphere, called lobula plate tangential cells. Among those, 10 so-called vertical system cells (VS) respond preferentially to image rotation around various axes. The output signals of VS cells are transmitted onto descending neurons that finally control motor neurons. I intend to model the neuronal behavior of this descending network based on existing models of VS cells.
Why complementary My PhD thesis is on neural circuit reconstruction from serial sections at the ultra-structural level.There I am concerned with software development, 3D graphical representation and algorithms for contour detection.What I am missing is how the detailed anatomy and connectivity relates to the function of the neural circuit.My project proposal would fill this gap giving me insight through functional modeling of biophysically realistic compartmental models of VS-cells and their postsynaptic neurons.
Tutor Hermann Cuntz


Computational Neuroscience: