EMBO workshop: Subcortical Sensory Circuits: from perception to behavior

Subcortical sensory circuits play a fundamental role in the perception of the outside world. However, they are often thought of as relay stations that passively transmit sensory information to the cortex or simple effectors of behavioral reflexes. Recent studies, however, suggest that subcortical pathways also perform sophisticated computations, such as integrating peripheral information among many sensory pathways and the animal’s internal states. This meeting will gather leading researchers in the field to discuss different subcortical circuits involving various sensory modalities and revisit their increasingly complex and interconnected contributions to perception, behavior, and cognition. Furthermore, we will delve into various topics which often play an interconnected role with sensory perception and are crucial to a detailed yet holistic understanding of perceptual circuits. Topics: - Control of innate behavior - Image-forming visual processing by the thalamus - Circuits of the colliculus: vision and multisensory integration - Subcortical development in mice and non-human primates - Computational neuroscience and theory - Multisensory Integration and higher-order thalamic nuclei - The subcortical influence on decision making