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17 October 2017: Samantha Carouso
K. Lynch, A. Gaglio, E. Tyler, J. Coculo, M. Louder and M. Hauber (2017). A neural basis for password-based species recognition in an avian brood parasite. Journal of Experimental Biology 220:2345-2353.
This paper can serve as a starting point for a discussion of species recognition mechanisms in general, brood parasitism behavior, vocal learning and call production and their related auditory and production brain regions, ZENK as a scientific tool, innate vs. learned behaviors (and the potential false dichotomy of that distinction), and in vivo/in ovo learning.
24 October 2017: George Prounis
M. Stephenson-Jones, K. Yu, S. Ahrens, J. Tucciarone, A. van Huijstee, L. Mejia, M. Penzo, L. Tai, L. Wilbrecht & B. Li (2016). A basal ganglia circuit for evaluating action outcomes. Nature 539:289-293.
Additional recommended reading:
L. Tai, A. M. Lee, N. Benavidez, A. Bonc, L. Wilbrecht (2012). Transient stimulation of distinct subpopulations of striatal neurons mimics changes in action value. Nature Neuroscience 15(9):1281-1289.
These papers highlight the dynamic role of basal ganglia dopamine systems in decision-making and action evaluation in mice. The authors bi-directionally influence reward-based decisions via optogenetic manipulation of specific neuronal populations within the basal ganglia. Overall, these papers demonstrate the 1) the importance of dopamine in both evaluation and action, and 2) the explanatory power of linking precise, sub-circuit neural manipulations to simple behavioral tasks. My research interests include developmental changes in decision-making circuits, particularly the involvement of dopamine systems during adolescent risk-taking behavior.
31 October 2017: Adam Broitman
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