QLS Seminar Series - Adrienne L. Fairhall

From neural nets to movement in Hydra

Adrienne L. Fairhall (University of Washington)
Tuesday November 28, 12-1pm
Zoom Link: https://mcgill.zoom.us/j/86855481591
In Person: 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189

Abstract: The small fresh-water cnidarian Hydra is a fascinating model organism for neuroscience. It is transparent; new genetic lines allow one to image activity in both neurons and muscle cells; it exhibits a quite rich suite of behaviors; and it continually rebuilds itself. Hydra’s fairly simple physical structure as a two-layered fluid-filled hydrostat and the accessibility of information about neural and muscle activity open the possibility of a complete model of neural control of behavior. We have developed a biophysical and biomechanical model of Hydra's muscles and body that allows us to transform measured neural activity into behavior, and a neural model that proposes a mechanism driving its contractile oscillations.