Talk Title:

Uncovering the neural mechanisms driving flexible behavior and rapid learning

Talk Abstract:

Animals exhibit an extraordinary capability to adapt and learn, allowing for the seamless navigation of new environments or the acquisition of new behaviors to accomplish a task. To support this behavioral flexibility, many of the underlying neural circuits possess an equivalent malleability, dynamically changing their activity or function to optimize task performance. In this talk, I will first present work that examines this concept in the rodent navigation system and identifies novel ways in which entorhinal representations of external space change with the spatial task. Second, I will present work that examines this concept in the motor system and identifies how neural circuits in the basal ganglia flexibly change their function and activity to support the learning of complex motor skills. Last, I will conclude with my future plans to study the algorithmic principles driving rapid learning, with a focus on how knowledge accumulated across multiple tasks can speed up learning on a single task.