CDB Seminar - Dr Talmo Pereira, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Please join us for a CDB Seminar by Dr Talmo Pereira of the Salk Insitute of Biological Studies

'Quantifying and modelling behaviour using deep learning'

Zoom at: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/92930915945

Talk abstract: A core goal of neuroscience is to understand how the brain adaptively orchestrates movements to execute complex behaviours. Quantifying behavioural dynamics, however, has historically been prohibitively laborious or technically intractable, particularly for unconstrained and naturalistic behaviours which the brain evolved to produce. Driven by advances in computer vision and deep learning, new methods are being developed to overcome these limitations and enable precise and automated quantification of behaviour from conventional across species and experimental settings. In this talk we will: introduce the problem of pose tracking for behavioural quantification; show how deep learning can be employed to achieve markerless motion capture with multiple animals; highlight our efforts to make this technology more accessible through open-source tools like SLEAP (sleap.ai); and preview how this data modality enables new approaches for building generative models of how the brain produces behaviour through the use of biomechanics, physics simulation and NeuroAI.

Host: Pip Coen