Date: Wed, August 2, 15:00-17:00
Place: Room Dw601, D Block, IIS, The University of Tokyo
Invited Speaker: Prof. Nicolas Schweighofer (University of Southern California)

Title: Chaos in the inferior olive neurons may enhance cerebellar learning

Abstract:
Despite unique well characterized neuronal properties, such as extensive
electrical coupling and low firing rates, the role of the inferior olive
(IO), which is the source of the climbing fiber inputs to cerebellar
Purkinje cells, is still controversial. We propose that the IO
stochastically recodes the high-frequency information carried by its
synaptic inputs into stochastic, low-rate spikes in its climbing fiber
output. Computer simulations of realistic IO networks showed that
moderate electrical coupling produced chaotic firing, which maximized
the input-output mutual information. This "chaotic resonance" may allow
rich error signals to reach individual Purkinje cells, even at low
firing rates, allowing efficient cerebellar learning.