Canonical Neural Computation 2012

A workshop at Villa La Pietra, Florence, 3-5 May 2012

(pictures are available here and here)

The goal of the workshop was to identify key neural computations that are repeated in multiple species and brain regions. Such canonical neural computations would be repeated modularly to apply the same set of algorithms to different problems.

Identifying canonical neural computations is essential as they constitute a bridge between circuits and behavior. The circuits perform computations, and the computations result in behavior.

The canonical computations can be discovered in various ways: from the responses of neuronal populations and systems, from the underlying circuits, from behavior in the healthy brain and from dysfunction in disease. The organizers and speakers reflect these different approaches.

In addition to the researchers, the attendees included directors of funding bodies and journal editors. Among them were Drs. Sarah Caddick (Gatsby Charitable Foundation), Katja Brose (Neuron), and Hannah Bayer (Nature Neuroscience).

Generous funding was provided jointly by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and by the Swartz Foundation. For reasons of space, attendance was by invitation only. A similar meeting was held in 2009. It ended with a manifesto, available online.

Organizers

• Matteo Carandini, University College London
• Kenneth Harris, Imperial College London
• David Heeger, New York University
• Massimo Scanziani, HHMI and UC San Diego

Program

Click here for the PDF of the detailed program, with short abstracts.

Speakers

In order of appearance:

• Zach Mainen (Champalimaud)
• John Reynolds (Salk)
• David Heeger (NYU)
• Carlos Brody (Princeton and HHMI)
• Michale Fee (MIT)
• Nathaniel Daw (NYU)
• Eve Marder (Brandeis)
• Nachum Ulanovsky (Weizmann Institute)
• J Anthony Movshon (NYU)
• Jim DiCarlo (MIT)
• Jennifer Linden (University College London )
• Michael Hausser (University College London)
• XJ Wang (Yale)
• Ken Miller (Columbia)
• Massimo Scanziani (UCSD and HHMI)
• Kenneth Harris (Imperial College London)
• Matteo Carandini (University College London)
• Eero Simoncelli (NYU and HHMI)
• Wei Ji Ma (Baylor)
• Benedikt Grothe (U Munich)
• Duje Tadin (Rochester)
• Anthony M Norcia (Stanford)