QBI Neuroscience Seminar: 'The Neurobiology of Homeostasis'

Event Details

Date:

Wednesday, 28 August 2019 - Wednesday, 28 August 2019

Time:

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Room:

QBI Level 7 Auditorium

UQ Location:

Queensland Brain Institute (St Lucia)

URL:

http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/neuroscience-seminars

Event category(s):

Full Description:: A/Professor Zachary Knight
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
University of California, San Francisco

Title: 'The Neurobiology of Homeostasis'

Abstract: Our research investigates the neural mechanisms that govern hunger and thirst. Nearly a century ago, lesioning studies suggested that these fundamental drives originate from subcortical stuctures such as hypothalamus that are specialized for monitoring internal state. However the structure and dynamics of the underlying neural circuits has been poorly defined. I will discuss our work using calcium imaging to record the natural activity of some of the key cell types that control eating and drinking in vivo. We have discovered that these homeostatic neurons receive sensory information from the outside world, which they use predict impending physiologic changes and adjust behavior preemptively. I will discuss our work investigating how these homeostatic circuits integrate external sensory cues with internal signals arising from the body in order to generate and shape goal-directed behaviors.