Dear All,
The CEU Department of Cognitive Science cordially invites you to the following
joint talks by:
Takeo Watanabe,
PhD, Brown University
Time: 4
pm (to
4:45
pm) CET
and
Yuka Sasaki,
PhD, Brown University
Time: 4:45
pm (to 5:30 pm) CET
Date:
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Venue: D001
(QS Vienna) and
Zoom:
https://ceu-edu.zoom.us/j/95023421463?pwd=7g6UvWirzVJR6fDSE4IXIIWltQoNEN.1
Meeting ID: 950 2342 1463
Passcode: 176331
Chair:
Jozsef Fiser
1. Roles of glutamate and GABA in visual perceptual learning
Takeo Watanabe, PhD,
The Fred M. Seed Distinguished Professor
Visual perceptual learning (VPL) refers to long- term performance changes in a visual task. For over 20 years, I have conducted research on VPL (e.g.,
Watanabe, Nanez & Sasaki, 2001, Nature; Seitz and Watanabe, Nature, 2003; Tsushima, Sasaki& Watanabe,
Science, 2005; Shibata et al., Science, 2011). Although the mechanisms of VPL encoding have been well elucidated, the mechanisms of post-encoding processing have remained elusive. Recently, by measuring concentrations of glutamate (an excitatory
neurotransmitter) and GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we have the mechanisms of important aspects of post-encoding processing mechanisms (Bang et al.,
Nature Human Behavior, 2018; Tamaki et al., Nature Neuroscience, 2020; Yamada et al.,
TICS, 2023). In this talk, I will focus on our research revealing mechanisms of retrograde interference, or catastrophic forgetting, defined as the disruption of old learning by newer learning, in both adults (Shibata et al.,
Nature Neuroscience, 2017) and children (Frank et al., Current Biology, 2022).
2. Sleep and perceptual learning
Yuka Sasaki, PhD, Professor
We sleep every day, yet the functions of sleep are not entirely understood. Recently, a large body of evidence suggests that sleep is beneficial for various types of learning and memory. Our lab aims to understand how sleep facilitates learning in humans using
behavioral measures and non-invasive neuroimaging techniques, including polysomnography and magnetic resonance imaging. I will discuss how sleep stages are determined, how neuroimaging tools are used in sleep research, and recent findings about the role of
sleep in facilitating learning (Tamaki et al, Nature Neuroscience, 2020; Yamada et al,
TICS, 2023).
*Anyone not affiliated with CEU wishing to attend in-person in Vienna
must RSVP here to get access to the lecture hall.
Best,
Reka
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Györgyné Finta (Réka) Department of Cognitive Science CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
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