CTN: Ann Kennedy

Title: Neural computations underlying the regulation of motivated behavior

Abstract: As we interact with the world around us, we experience a constant stream of sensory inputs, and must generate a constant stream of behavioral actions. What makes brains more than simple input-output machines is their capacity to integrate sensory inputs with an animal’s own internal motivational state to produce behavior that is flexible and adaptive. In this talk, I will present three recent stories from the lab exploring the dynamics and modulation of motivational states. First, working with neural recordings from a hypothalamic nucleus involved in regulation of aggression, I show how we relate the dynamical properties of neural populations to escalation of an aggressive motivational state. Next, using methods from control theory and reinforcement learning, I show that different sites of modulation within a neural circuit produce different resulting effects on behavior and neural activity. Finally, I will show how theoretical models can reveal unexpected effects of neuromodulation on the dynamic regimes of recurrent neural networks, illuminating the ways in which the brain might use small molecules to reshape its activity and thus modify behavior.