CCN talks January 23, 2018

Jörn Diedrichsen

Western Research Chair for Motor Control and Computational Neuroscience; Brain and Mind Institute; Department for Computer Science, University of Western Ontario

Everything you always wanted to know about representational fMRI analysis.....and what it has to do with onions

Time: 12:00-1:00

Place: Moore Hall, room 418

Abstract

In this hopefully interactive session, we will discuss the relationship between Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) and Encoding models - and I will introduce our Bayesian framework that unifies the two (Pattern Component Modeling, PCM). I will talk about some new technical developments in the lab that allows the testing of flexible representational models, and end by introducing you to the representational onion...

The brain's GPU? In search of the cerebellum's universal computation

Time: 5:00-6:00

Place: Moore Hall, room 202

Abstract

The cerebellum is a highly specialized neuronal circuitry that likely evolved to solve a very specific problem in sensory-motor control. In the human brain, the cerebellar circuitry has dramatically expanded and contributes to virtually every cognitive function, including working memory, language, and social cognition. What is this elusive computation that the cerebellum adds to cortical processing across domains? I will begin by summarizing some insights about cerebellar function from the domain of motor control and learning, which indicates that the cerebellum is critical for prediction and fast error-based learning. I will present the first results from an unpublished large functional neuroimaging study, in which we characterize cerebellar function across cognitive domains, and take the first steps to illuminate general of cerebellar computation.