Event:

Neural systems are faced with the difficult challenge to be flexible during learning and acquisition of new memories, and stable in order to execute behaviors reliably. How this dual challenge is achieved and maintained is part of the strategy that animals employ to adapt to the environment, and to thrive in constantly changing conditions. I will discuss several examples of how this balance between stability and flexibility is established during postnatal development and maintained during early life, and also how it enables animals to represent novel features from their environment. Our work demonstrates that while neural systems constantly undergo change and are subject to synaptic plasticity, learning adapts to different sensory environments and needs of the animal.