Understanding decision-making from the dynamics of neuronal networks in zebrafish

SEBASTIÁN A. ROMANO; GERMÁN SUMBRE

Roscoff

Conferencia; Imaging brain circuits in health and disease; 2010

CNRS

The aim of this project is to study decision making as an emergent property of the activity of large neuronal circuits. Decision making refers to the process of taking the determination to perform a certain behaviour (as in "free will"), or selecting from several external choices. Although it is widely accepted that decisions involve the collective dynamics of neuronal circuits, most studies focus on single-neuron activity when looking for a neural correlate of the cognitive act. Therefore, the model we use is the zebrafish larva that, on top of presenting a relatively simple nervous system that drives a rich repertoire of complex motor behaviours, it possesses a true transparent skin that renders the larva suitable for functional imaging, in an intact behaving vertebrate. We are currently registering the activity of large neuronal networks using two-photon imaging of both calcium sensitive dyes and genetically encoded calcium indicators, while monitoring the larva´s spontaneous behaviour, to understand how the decision to take action emerges from the ongoing network dynamics. We are also developing a visual paradigm to study the neural basis of a decision where the larvae have to choose between a prey-tracking and an escape behaviour.