Ensuring proper pain relief in laboratory animals is vital for their welfare and for obtaining accurate scientific results. We retrospectively examined the effects of carprofen as post-operative analgesia in Sprague Dawley rats following stereotactic surgery.
News
New Article Published in bioRxiv
In this study, we employed an action-preparation task in rats, combined with bidirectional optogenetic interventions, opto-fMRI, single unit electrophysiology and local field potential synchrony measurements across PFC subsections. Our findings support a clear and simple model of action inhibition within the prefrontal network.
New Article Published in Transactions on Machine Learning Research
In this paper we propose the novel class of hierarchical inverse Q-learning (HIQL) algorithms, which extend the fixed-reward inverse Q-learning (IQL) framework from Kalweit et al. (2020) to solve multiintention IRL problems. We applied HIQL in a real mice decision-making dataset from a dynamic two-armed bandit task (De La Crompe et al., 2023), and mathematically characterized exploitation and exploration behavior of animals during value-based decision-making.
August, 2024 – We are looking for a PhD (m/f/d) Student in Neuroscience (in vivo imaging techniques in freely moving mice))
We have an opening for a highly motivated PhD student to help us investigate the mechanisms of movement disorders, epilepsy, motor planning, reward expectation, attention, and action selection. Specifically, we investigate inhibitory control of the motor system by the thalamic reticular nucleus.
New Article Published in Neuron
How do brains—biological or artificial—respond and adapt to an ever-changing environment? In a recent meeting, experts from various fields of neuroscience and artificial intelligence met to discuss internal world models in brains and machines, arguing for an interdisciplinary approach to gain deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms.
June 21, 2024: Farewell Party
Dear Brice, it was a pleasure working with you. Thank you for your time and dedication while you worked in our team. All the best for your next step.
“Brice, Brice, au revoir”
February 9, 2024: Are Clownfish able to Count?
Clownfish can apparently count – this is the conclusion drawn by Japanese researchers from an experiment they conducted on the territorial behavior of the animals. Is this really true? “The researchers are jumping to conclusions,” says Prof. Dr. Ilka Diester.
January 31, 2024: How does artificial intelligence view the world?
Joschka Boedecker, Ilka Diester and Monika Schoenauer about internal world models in people, animals and AI
New Article Published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems
In this study, we introduce the architecture, the integrated building blocks, and the post-CMOS processes required to realize a NeuroBus , and we characterize the prototyped direct digitizing neural recorder front-end as well as polyimide-based ECoG brain interface.
New Article Published in arXiv
In this study, we introduce a novel class of Latent (Markov) Variable Inverse Q-learning algorithms for characterizing animal behavior during complex decision-making tasks.
Merry Christmas from the IMBIT
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Optophysiology and Robot Learning Lab.
November 8-9th, 2023: BrainWorlds Freiburg-Oxford Workshop
The BrainWorlds Freiburg-Oxford Workshop on November 8-9th, 2023 – an event of great scientific value for the BrainWorlds Research initiative and the partnership between Freiburg and Oxford Universities.
November, 2023 – We are looking for a PhD (m/f/d) Student in Neuroscience (in vitro electrophysiology & 2-Photon Imaging)
We have an opening for a highly motivated PhD student to help us investigate the mechanisms of inhibitory control of the motor system by the thalamic reticular nucleus. You will help further our understanding of movement disorders, epilepsy, motor planning, reward expectation, attention, and action selection.
Be Part of the BrainWorlds Workshop
Event Dates: November 8-9, 2023
Event Location: Nexus Lab, IMBIT, Freiburg Germany
July, 2023 – We are looking for a PhD (m/f/d) Student in Neuroscience (2-Photon Imaging)
Are you ready to embark on a thrilling journey into the intricate world of neuroscience? Do you possess a relentless curiosity, thrive in collaborative environments, and have the motivation to tackle complex challenges in experimental and computational neuroscience?
New Article Published in eNeuro
To study behavioral flexibility in freely-moving mice, we developed a versatile, low-cost, open-source behavioral setup, called FreiBox, allowing us to investigate the neuronal correlates of licking-based behavioral flexibility.
New Article Published in Neuron
This study proposes an unitary concept that, leveraging a cross-species definition of prefrontal regions, explains how prefrontal ensembles adaptively regulate and efficiently coordinate multiple processes in distinct cognitive behaviors.
New Article Published in bioRxiv
This study provides mechanistic insights into the interactions between the rostral forelimb area (RFA) and the caudal forelimb area (CFA). Specifically, we provide evidence for a differential impact of RFA on CFA depending on the task phase and the targeted CFA layers.
Christmas in the Optophysiology Lab, Dec 2022
Poison alert in Freiburg: Optophysiology investigator team solves tricky case and saves Freiburg
New Article Published in bioRxiv
Our results resolve long-standing questions about the dynamical structure of cortical activity associated with movement, and illuminate the dynamical perturbation experiments needed to understand how neural circuits throughout the brain generate complex behavior.