About
The overall objective of this project is to develop a mathematical framework to bridge the gap between single neuron imaging in vivo and the emergent computational properties of neuronal ensembles that encode animal’s behaviors. We focus on the small cnidarian Hydra which possesses one of the most primitive and simple nervous system, and a limited repertoire of behaviors. We tackle two important methodological issues: 1- the long-term tracking of individual neurons in moving and deforming animals and 2- the statistical inference of functional ensembles from calcium imaging of neuronal activity in vivo. These two developments help us to understand how the cooperative activity of few computational units (neuron ensembles) can efficiently process information and control the limited repertoire of animals’ behaviors.
