Intro Courses
SAIN
Advances in Brain Circuit Research: Exploring Technology in Systems and Behavior
Brief explanation
This meeting explores advanced neuroscience technologies to understand functional circuits and their role in behavior. By merging cutting-edge innovations with foundational neuroscientific and computational principles, the symposium aims to deepen our understanding of brain function in both physiology and pathophysiology. Bringing together global experts, it provides a platform where classic questions intersect with pioneering concepts in brain circuit research.
Depending on the level of participation we intend to open with a half-day series of introductory courses designed for students and postdoctoral researchers to provide a practical overview of core experimental and computational approaches in modern systems neuroscience. These sessions will cover state-of-the-art methods for large-scale neuronal recordings, including the use of Neuropixels probes, with emphasis on data acquisition, data processing, spike sorting, and analysis pipelines. Complementary modules will focus on voltage and calcium imaging techniques, addressing experimental design, signal extraction, and interpretation. Finally, the courses will introduce machine learning tools for neural and behavioral data analysis, including classification, clustering, and pose estimation approaches.
Together, these tutorials aim to give participants a solid grounding in the methods that underpin contemporary circuit neuroscience, bridging experimental and analytical perspectives and preparing them for the discussions and research presented during the main meeting.
Pre-meeting courses
Pierre Le Merre – CNRS, Lyon, France
High-density extracellular electrophysiology – methods and analysis
Jiannis Taxidis – The Hospital for Sickkids – University of Toronto, Canada
Optical interrogation of neural circuits: An intro to 2P calcium & voltage imaging
Alex Roxin – Centre de Recerca Matemà tica, Barcelona, Spain
Computational Neuroscience: Past, Present and Future
Maurizio Mattia – Istituto Superiore di Sanità , Rome, Italy
Digital Twins in Neuroscience: Recurrent Neural Networks as Windows into
Brain Function