PhD Torfi Sigurdsson | Investigating sensory prediction deficits in mouse models of schizophrenia predisposition

Guest Lecture

  • Date: Mar 11, 2019
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: PhD Torfi Sigurdsson
  • Goethe University Frankfurt Institute Neurophysiology Group Leader
  • Location: MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
  • Room: Wilhelm Wundt Room (A400)
  • Host: International Max Planck Research School NeuroCom
It is generally believed that what we perceive is not just determined by incoming physical stimuli but is also strongly influenced by our beliefs and expectations. One example of such ‘predictive coding’ is that stimuli that are generated – and thus predicted – by our own behavior elicit weaker responses in the brain. Notably, this attenuation has consistently been found to be disrupted in patients suffering from psychiatric diseases, most notably schizophrenia, suggesting deficits in sensory predictive coding could underlie disease symptoms. In this talk, I will discuss our work aimed at understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying the processing of self-generated sounds in both health and disease, using the mouse as a model experimental system. I will describe some of the principles we have uncovered which determine how neurons in the mouse auditory cortex process self-generated sounds and how this processing is disrupted in mice carrying one of the main genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. I will end by discussing potential neural circuit mechanisms that might underlie the attenuation of self-generated sounds and their implication for understanding sensory prediction deficits in schizophrenia.

Poster
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