lecture
Brain Sciences

The role of the corpus callosum in interhemispheric communication

Yael Oran-PhD Thesis Defense
February 14, 2024
14:00 - 15:00
Interhemispheric communication is a comprehensive concept that involves both the synchronization of neural activity as well as the integration of sensory information across the two brain hemispheres. In this work, we explored these properties in the somatosensory system of the mouse brain. We show that during spontaneous activity in awake animals,  robust interhemispheric correlations of both spiking and synaptic activities that are reduced during whisking compared to quiet wakefulness. And that the state-dependent correlations between the hemispheres stem from the state-depended nature of the corpus callosum activity. Further, to understand how sensory information is integrated across the brain's hemispheres, we studied bilateral and ipsilateral responses to passive whisker stimulation using widefield imaging and then employed a virtual tunnel environment to explore bilateral integration in active whisking