Prof. Dr. Susanne Schreiber, Computational Neurophysiology Group, Institute for Theoretical Biology and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin referiert zum Thema "Temperature - an underestimated variable for neuronal processing" Abstract:
Temperature plays a fundamental role in organismal physiology. Changes in temperature considerably modulate biochemical reaction rates and, consequently, also affect neural processing. Variations in temperature are common under physiological conditions and neural systems must have intrinsic mechanisms that help them retain their functionality. Nevertheless, our understanding of the temperature dependence of neuronal processing and generic design principles that enhance robustness to temperature fluctuations remains limited. The matter is of particular interest since such compensatory mechanisms come into play in pathological conditions, like fever or hypothermia, where they may be partially over-ridden. The aim of our research therefore is to identify fundamental properties at the level of single cells and networks that ensure the robustness of neural system function in the face of temperature changes. Our approach is interdisciplinary, combining mathematical modeling and electrophysiological experiments. In this talk I will show examples how neural computation is affected by temperature in terms of neuronal firing rate, information transfer, noise, and energy efficiency. Moreover, our mathematical models predict that temperature changes can lead to pathological synchronization states of neuronal networks, which is of relevance in the context of epileptic seizures.
Lecture and discussion from 7:00 pm until approximately 8:00 pm
followed by dinner and informal discussion in the HWK Bistro.
