BE Seminar: “Studying the Neural basis of Natural Spatial, Social and Acoustic Behaviors – in Freely Behaving and Flying Bats” (Michael Yartsev, UC Berkeley)
October 11, 2022 at 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Organizer
Venue
This is a hybrid seminar that will take place in Glandt Forum (Singh Center) and via Zoom (check email for link and passcode).
Our lab seeks to understand the neural basis of complex spatial, acoustic and social behaviors in mammals. To do so, we take a neuroethological approach that leverages the specialization of the bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) for these behaviors in order to elucidate their underlying neural computations. In the spatial domain, we take advantage of the bat’s ability to elegantly navigate during high-speed flight and under varying levels of spatial complexities. In the social-acoustic domain, we utilize the bat’s social communication signals to understand how these are learned and later used during natural group social interactions. In parallel, we have pioneered a suite of cutting-edge technologies that make it possible to study the behavior and neural circuits in freely behaving and flying bats to examine these systems in a way not previously possible. In this talk, I provide an overview of some of the research topics our lab has been working on over the past few years.

