15 June at 3pm in the CN hall, dr Piotr Majka from the Laboratory of Neuroinformatics of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS will give a lecture entitled "Cortico-cortical connectivity atlas of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)”. His habilitation is processed by the Scientific Council of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology.

Abstract

The nervous system is formed by a network of interconnected neurons, which exchange information via patterns of electrical activity and neurochemical signals. The picture suggested by current studies of brain connectivity is one of a complex network organized according to specific rules. Investigating these patterns in the primate cortex is particularly challenging due to its complex mosaic of areas, which often lack clear boundaries.

I will present studies constituting my habilitation scientific achievement: A resource for exploring the results of almost 150 tracer injections registered to a stereotaxic space of the marmoset brain. This will be followed by examples of novel studies that the connectome enabled: I will highlight the purely spatial (parcellation-free) analyses that led to the identification of putative homolog of default mode network A in human. I will also demonstrate how neuronal tracing data can constrain and improve the accuracy of dMRI tractography.

Finally, I will briefly address ongoing research on the plasticity of visual pathways and neuronal composition after lesions of the primary visual cortex in young and adult marmosets.