ANC Workshop Talk: David Reichert and Lysimachos Zografos, Chair: Mike Smith

David Reichert

Clarifying the Bayesian brain?

Bayesian models have risen to prominence in cognitive science and computational neuroscience over the last two decades, but they also have been subject to criticism.  In a recent opinion article,  Jones & Love (2011) even decried a 'Bayesian fundamentalism' among some Bayesian approaches. In this talk I will present early work on attempting to tease apart the various notions surrounding the 'Bayesian brain', as well offer my own critical analysis of some of the involved claims and assumptions. Key issues are claims to optimality and rationality, the distinction between modelling the environment or psychological processes, high-level vs. low-level models, and what insights can be gained from machine learning.

Lysimachos Zografos

Functional Characterisation of Human Synaptic Genes Expressed in the Drosophila Brain

Abstract: this talk will cover progress in the project we undertook with Braiwave Discovery for the SynSys consortium. I will present both the cloning and screening pipelines in their current form, the current collection of humanised flies, some results from the first stage of the screening as well as a couple of ongoing side-projects.