Q&A With a Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience Pioneer

Terrence Sejnowski of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a pioneer of computational and theoretical neuroscience. He developed artificial neural network models and learning models for birdsong and neuroeconomics. He also helped develop the algorithm for independent component analysis. For these and other accomplishments, Sejnowski received the Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience in 2015. Here he reflects on his career and where the field is headed.

What discoveries made in your lab have most excited you and why?

Recently my lab has focused on high-resolution EM reconstructions, which we call nanoconectomics, and particle models of molecular interactions at synapses. We recently showed that cortical synapses have more than 26 distinguishable sizes corresponding to five bits of information storage, an order of magnitude greater than previous estimates. Why is the precision so high when on a given input, synaptic release is so unreliable? In the process of studying dysfunction in cortical circuits, we collaborated with Joe Ecker to sequence the pattern of DNA methylation in neurons and discovered a unique form of methylation in neurons during brain development. This is an exciting new direction to look for the cause of developmental diseases in the brain.

Speaker

Terrence Sejnowski, PhD

Terrence Sejnowski is a computational neuroscientist whose goal is to understand the principles that link brain to behavior. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, holds the Francis Crick Chair at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and is a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, where he is co-director of the Institute for Neural Computation and co-director of the NSF Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. Sejnowski is a member of the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering, making him one of only 10 living people to be a member of all three national academies. He earned his PhD from Princeton University.