CBN (Computational Biology and Neurocomputing) seminars

Selection system and Boolean Machinery of the Basal Ganglia in Decision Making Processes

by Iman Kamali Sarvestani (KTH/CSC/CB)

Europe/Stockholm
RB35

RB35

Description
The basal ganglia have traditionally been believed to be an important decision center in the vertebrate central nervous system. They are also suggested to be involved in some pathological states such as Parkinsonianism, Huntington's disease and hemiballism. Several models of decision making in the basal ganglia have been proposed and widely accepted since mid 80s. However, recent anatomical observations are seriously questioning the validity of classical models and the way they interpret the decision making processes. The talk will review traditional models and cover a novel hypothesis about the functional organization of the basal ganglia we have recently developed. A computational model demonstrating the postulated network activity in a realistic decision making environment will be shown as a companion to the hypothesis.