Dendrites are thin processes that extend from the cell body of neurons and receive the vast majority of synaptic input. Their biophysical, anatomical and plasticity properties allow them to shape incoming signals in complex ways and have thus been suggested to serve as key players in learning and memory functions. In her presentation Dr. Poirazi will discuss various projects from her lab that illuminate the role of dendrites in complex brain functions as well as recent work where she adopts dendritic features to improve learning in artificial neural networks. She will also present recent experimental findings where she uses behavioural experiments in rodents and 2photon imaging to unravel the synaptic basis of behavioural flexibility.

 

Dr. Panayiota Poirazi is a Research Director and head of the Dendrites Lab (www.dendrites.gr) at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH). She has a Bachelor in Mathematics from the University of Cyprus, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She is interested in understanding how dendrites contribute to biological and artificial intelligence and uses computational approaches, often in conjunction with experiments, to answer this question.

Her work has significantly advanced our understanding of how single neurons compute, by revealing the power of dendrites in solving difficult problems. She received numerous awards for her academic achievements, including an Einstein Foundation fellowship, the Alexander von Humboldt Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, an ERC Starting Grant and an EMBO YIP award, among others. She is a member of EMBO and the Secretary General of FENS (Federation for European Neuroscience Societies).