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Home > Circuit basis of learning and action-selection
Marta Zlaticnb

Marta Zlatic

Circuit basis of learning and action-selection

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The overall goal of our research is to discover the circuit implementation of learning and action selection.  Since these functions likely emerge from parallel and distributed computations across many interconnected brain areas, over the past five years we have established an approach that involves combining comprehensive brain-wide analysis of structure and function in the tractable Drosophila larva. Recently we have generated a comprehensive synaptic-resolution wiring diagram of the entire brain and a comprehensive genetic toolkit for the selective manipulation of each uniquely identified neuron type.  Possible PhD projects will involve 1) identifying the patterns of activity in individual neurons in the brain that correlate with the formation of specific memories and/or the selection of specific actions, using light-sheet and two-photon imaging of neural activity or patch-clamp recordings; 2) testing whether the candidate neurons are required and sufficient for learning and action selection by manipulating them using optogenetics or thermogenetics in freely behaving animals; 3) identifying genes required for learning and memory in specific neurons using RNAseq and testing whether they are required using targeted knockdown.


References

Eschbach C., Fushiki A., Winding M., Afonso B., Andrade I.V., Cocanougher B.T., Eichler K., Gepner R., Si G., Valdes-Aleman J., Gershow M., Gefferis G.S.X.E., Truman W.J., Fetter R.D., Samuel A., Cardona A. and Zlaticm M. (2020)
Circuits for integrating learnt and innate valences in the insect brain.
bioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.23.058339.

Eschbach C., Fushiki A., Winding M., Schneider-Mizell C. M., Shao M., Arruda B., Eichler K., Valdes-Aleman J., Thum A. S., Gerber B., Fetter R. D., Truman W. J., Litwin-Kumar A., Cardona A. and Zlatic M (2020)
Recurrent architecture for adaptive regulation of learn in the insect brain.
Nature Neuroscience. 23:544-555.

Eschbach C. and Zlatic M. (2020)
Useful road maps: studying Drosophila larva’s central nervous system with the help of connectomics.
Current Opinion in Neurobiology 65: 129-137.

Valdes-Aleman J., Fetter R. D., Sales E. C., Heckman E. L., Doe C. Q., Landgraf M., Cardona A. and Zlatic M. (2021)
Synaptic specificity is collectively determined by partner identity, location and activity.
Neuron 109(1):105-122.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.10.004.

Eichler K.f , Li F.f , Kumar A. L., Andrade I., Schneider-Mizell C., Saumweber T., Huser A., Gerber, B., Fetter R. D., Truman J. W., Abbott L. F., Thum A., Zlatic, M.c and Cardona A.c. (2017)
The complete connectome of a learning and memory centre in an insect brain.
Nature 548(7666):175-182. doi: 10.1038/nature23455.

Jovanic T.f , Schneider-Mizell, C.f , Shao M., Masson J.-B., Denisov G., Fetter R. D., Truman J. W., Cardona, A.c and Zlatic M.c. (2016)
Competitive disinhibition in early sensory processing mediates behavioral choice and sequences in Drosophila.
Cell 167: 1-13.

Ohyama T.f , Schneider-Mizell, C.f , Fetter, R. D., Valdez-Aleman J., Francoville R., Rivera Alba M., Mensh, B., Simpson, J. H., Branson, K., Truman, J. W., Cardona, A.c and Zlatic M.c (2015)
Multilevel multimodal integration enhances action selection.
Nature 520: 633-639.

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