Event:

The recent advancement of MRI-based tools for mapping brain function in rodents provides a great platform for discovering the determinants of functional (dys)connectivity, whether genetic mutations, environmental risk factors, or specific cellular and circuit dysfunctions. In my talk, I will describe our most recent contributions to the field, underlining the drawbacks of utilizing such a technique while also emphasizing the novel opportunities that this technology can provide.
I will also discuss how perturbational techniques can be used to dissect the fundamental aspects of brain function and reveal the causal contribution of neuromodulatory systems to brain network activity, with a particular emphasis on the locus coeruleus / noradrenergic system.
These examples highlight how rodent functional imaging has the potential to increase our understanding of the origins and drivers of human functional connectivity.