LTT – Lotem Elber

September 22 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT

Title: How, in a field rife with controversy, some neuroscientific models become generally accepted as good models?

Abstract:

There is much disagreement in Neuroscience. Many highly regarded and high-impact findings are contested by others as insufficiently supported. Among the many controversies, there are a few specific models that stand out as generally accepted to be good models of a cognitive capacity in some animals. In my talk I investigate what differentiates these select few models from others. I focus on the case study of the ring model as a model for head-direction representation in the drosophila fly. This model is widely accepted as a model that accurately captures how neuronal processes give rise to the representation of head-direction. I suggest several properties of this model that work in its favor and compare the model to others on these properties. Most notably, the correspondence between the model and the anatomical features in the relevant areas in the fly is striking. The ring model is considered to be implemented in a physical ring. I debate whether this correspondence should carry as much weight as it is given and suggest that it should because it provides further support for the function of neuronal activity. I consider some implications for neuroscientific research in general.

This talk will also be available live streamed on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.