The talk will also be available on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89238458002

Talk Title: Predictive coding of Natural Self-Motion: Implications for Perception & Action

Abstract:  Integrating sensory with motor signals during voluntary behavior is essential for distinguishing stimuli that are a consequence of intended actions from those that are externally generated. This ability enables the brain to flexibly fine-tune motor actions based on sensory feedback, a computation necessary for subjective awareness of the effects of movements. The lecture will explore the neural circuits that perform this computation, highlighting the cerebellum's role in building predictive models of self-generated movement as individuals explore the world. Our current research addresses several key questions: How does the cerebellum learn to interpret active motion as self-generated when the relationship between actual and expected sensory feedback changes? How does the vestibular cerebellum compute the expected consequences of self-motion, adapting predictions to changes in sensory feedback statistics and implementing them flexibly across contexts? Does cerebellum-mediated vestibular reafference suppression generalize to other natural self-motion behaviors, such as standing balance and its adaptation to perturbations? Our recent findings advance our understanding of how the cerebellum computes expected consequences of self-motion in everyday life, where predictions are learned, adapted, and flexibly implemented.

Bio: Kathleen Cullen is the Raj and Neera Singh Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of Neuroscience, and Otolaryngology. She is also the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hearing and Balance. Dr. Cullen founded and directs Johns Hopkins’ Systems Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Laboratory (SNNL) which spans the interdisciplinary fields of neural engineering and neuroscience harnessing the power of innovative computational and neurophysiological methodologies. The experimental approach is multidisciplinary and includes high-density neuronal recordings during natural behaviors, the application of deep convolutional networks for movement analysis, and neural computational approaches. The central mission of the research in the SNNL is to advance our fundamental understanding of how the brain encodes and integrates self-motion information, and use this knowledge to drive innovative translational and clinical developments (such as neural prosthetics) to improve patient outcomes.

In addition to her research activities, Dr. Cullen currently serves as President of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement (NCM) as well as the steering committee for NASA’s Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space 2023-2032. Throughout her career, she has been committed to improving diversity in science, including the promotion, visibility, and representation of women and underrepresented minorities.  Dr. Cullen has been an active member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, which works with NASA to identify health risks in extended space flight. Dr. Cullen is also a Section Editor for Neuroscience (Official journal: International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and Deputy Editor (NeuroEngineering) of Biomedical Engineering (BME) Frontiers (AAAS). She has also served as a reviewing editor on Editorial Boards including the Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Neurophysiology, and Journal of Research in Otolaryngology (JARO). Dr. Cullen has given over 250 national and international Plenary, Keynote, and invited lectures and has also served as a domain expert for well-known media sources (e.g. The Washington Post, Scientific American, CNN, PBS, Wall Street Journal, CTV news, National Public Radio (NPR)).

Dr. Cullen received a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience from Brown University and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Chicago. After doctoral studies, Dr. Cullen was a Fellow at the Montreal Neurological Institute in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. In 1994, Dr. Cullen became an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at McGill University, with appointments in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, and Otolaryngology. In 2002, Cullen was appointed a William Dawson Chair in recognition of her work in Systems Neuroscience / Neural Engineering and served as Director of McGill’s Aerospace Medical Research Unit comprising four faculty and their research labs. Dr. Cullen joined Johns Hopkins University in 2016.