Plasticity and balance in neuronal networks

This talk will be presented online. Zoom link: 997 8258 4700 (pw: 1234)

Abstract: I will first describe how to extend the theory of balanced networks to account for synaptic plasticity. This theory can be used to show when a plastic network will maintain balance, and when it will be driven into an unbalanced state. I will next discuss how this approach provides evidence for a novel form of rapid compensatory inhibitory plasticity. Experimental evidence for such plasticity comes from optogenetic activation of excitatory neurons in primate visual cortex (area V1) which induces a population-wide dynamic reduction in the strength of neuronal interactions over the timescale of minutes during the awake state, but not during rest. I will shift gears in the final part of the talk, and discuss how community detection algorithms can help uncover the large scale organization of neuronal networks from connectome data.