Berlin Brains: The Neuro-Abacus – How mathematics helps us understand the brain

Can fundamental brain functions be modeled and explored using mathematical methods?

The brain is a highly complex and dynamic system. While individual neurons can be described mathematically, what emerges from the interaction of millions of neurons? And where in the brain is information actually encoded? Does each neuron process information independently, or does information emerge from the activity of local neural networks, larger brain regions, or distributed circuits?

Tilo Schwalger and Nils Greven develop mathematical methods to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying cognitive functions across all levels of brain organization and spatial scales. In this talk, they will present the theoretical models they have developed, demonstrate how these models can be used to gain insights into the mechanisms of information processing and memory formation, and discuss further applications of their methods.

Speakers:
Tilo Schwalger is Junior Professor and head of the Data Assimilation in Neuroscience research group at the Technische Universität Berlin.
Nils Greven is a doctoral researcher in the Data Assimilation in Neuroscience research group at the Technische Universität Berlin.

Moderator: Jochen Müller

Tickets

Berlin Brains is a joint event series organized by: Urania Berlin, Stiftung Planetarium Berlin, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence & Science of Intelligence, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1315, CRC/Transregio 295 ReTune, and CRC/Transregio 384 IN-CODE.