Connectomics of neural network plasticity

About the project

About the Project Connectomics is the study of biological neural networks at synaptic resolution. The resulting wiring diagrams teach us how information is processed in animal brains, including perception and behaviour [1]. However, connectomes have always been static snapshots where dynamics remain hidden. Evidence is accumulating for the brain’s code to be in constant flux [2], which means that fundamental features of biological computation remain inaccessible to study via static wiring diagrams. Until recently, connectomics relied exclusively on electron microscopy. We are now using expansion microscopy for an optical approach to connectomics [3,4]. This allows us to integrate a molecular readout dimension via fluorescence-based tools. Using these tools will allow us to both map the brain’s circuits and overlay information on the plasticity states of each synaptic connection. This information is critical to understanding the history of each connection across behavioural timescales, from weeks to seconds, including the memory of learned behaviours. The aim of this project is to (1) adapt and build molecular tools that allow the readout of dynamics in connectomes using optical approaches and to (2) use those tools to build maps of adaptive neural networks recapitulating animal behaviour.

Research areas