Abstract

Healthy animals continuously adapt innate behaviours to current need states. The flexible regulation of diverse innate behaviours relies on hypothalamic circuits. However, which neural computations and circuit motifs enable hypothalamic populations to adapt innate behaviour to physiological states has remained elusive. Recent developments of powerful tools such as optogenetics, calcium imaging and in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology vastly improved our ability to probe neural activity in freely behaving animals, even in brain regions as deep as hypothalamic nuclei. In this symposium, leading experts will present their latest findings on the neural mechanisms that enable flexible hypothalamic behaviour control across physiological states.

Derya Sargin and Anne Petzold will present highly novel work on the circuit architecture and function of lateral hypothalamic subcircuits underlying social behaviours. Maribel Rios will discuss her recent work on neurotrophic mechanisms for the hypothalamic regulation of feeding behaviour. The session will be chaired by Nicholas Betley, a renowned expert on the neural control of adaptive feeding behaviour through hypothalamic networks.

The symposium will highlight novel mechanisms for the need-dependent regulation of innate behaviours through hypothalamic circuits and thus provide important insights into the neural basis of behavioural adaptation.