March 30, 2007-- 4:00 p.m. at the Fields Institute
(audio
and slides from talk) Frances
K. Skinner Toronto Western Research Institute, University
Health Network, and University of Toronto
'Designing'
and 'discovering' cellular-based mechanisms underlying
network dynamics
Determining underlying
mechanisms of neurological diseases such as epilepsy
requires an understanding of the dynamics of brain networks.
However, the highly nonlinear nature of our brains makes
understanding difficult, and even more so if a cellular-based
understanding is sought. A cellular-based understanding
is desirable to allow for the development and design
of new drugs and therapeutic targets as well as a better
understanding of the workings of existing drugs.
In this talk I will describe
our developing approach to 'design' model networks
and 'discover' biologically-relevant mechanisms incorporated
within them. This approach derives from the simple
fact that it is impossible to know the importance
or critical aspect of various biological details in
the absence of some defined context. It is always
a balance. Therefore, we need objective methods to
compare different models and to compare model and
experimental data in clearly defined situations. I
will present three ideas that we have considered in
the context of rhythmic brain dynamics expressed by
hippocampal cortex. They all rely on heterogeneity
and have been developed using inhibitory network models.
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