You are invited to attend a Special Guest Lecture on Sussex Neuroscience Day, May 15th: 

Prof Simon Laughlin, FRS, University of Cambridge

 "Ten ways to a more efficient brain"

 This will be held in Fulton A lecture theatre, 16:45-17:45. No registration is required for this lecture - all welcome! 

Abstract: Studies of wiring efficiency establish beyond doubt that neural circuits are configured to use space, materials and time efficiently. Over the last decade or so, work by a small number of groups has added a fourth limiting resource to the list, metabolic energy. I will review this limitation, show how the brain's winning technology increases the need to be energy efficient by linking energy to space, materials and time, and show how some basic signaling systems operate to improve efficiency.

Simon has made a series of fundamental contributions to understanding the principles of neural circuit design by gathering experimental data from neurons and circuits and developing models that reveal reasons underlying the design.  Following a degree in Zoology from the University of Cambridge he obtained his PhD in Neurobiology at the ANU Canberra in 1974, studying photoreceptor optics and retinal processing in insects with Adrian Horridge. He remained in Canberra for a decade, working with physicists and engineers to pioneer the application of information theory to understanding the design of sensory circuits.

Simon joined the Zoology Department in Cambridge in 1984 and extended his analysis of coding efficiency to the organization and design of the fly visual system. He measured the ability of identified synapses to transmit information, characterized the advantages of analogue signal processing in circuits, studied the role of adaptation in motion coding.  Simon then made the first measurements of the energy costs of the information in sensory receptors, synapses and neurons and collaborated with David Attwell (UCL) to construct energy budgets for neural processing in neocortex.  

Simon was awarded the Rank Prize Research Professorship in Opto-Electronics (1999 - 2004) and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2000. And he gives wonderful talks!

By: Fiona Hurd
Last updated: Tuesday, 13 May 2014