Item

Abstract

The serotonergic system impacts many behaviors and is the most common target of psychiatric drugs. However, even though this system has been studied intensively for decades, overarching models that comprehensively describe the function(s) of serotonin are lacking. This stands in contrast to other neuromodulatory systems where strong frameworks exist, for example the reward prediction error framework for dopaminergic signaling. In this workshop, we will bring together four speakers who investigate how serotonergic circuits control the behavior of diverse animals: worms, fish, mice, and monkeys. It is our hope that this comparison over an evolutionary scale will illuminate conserved, critical roles for serotonin. There will be four seminars and reserved time for questions, discussion, and brainstorming. The four speakers bring cutting-edge approaches, such as whole-brain calcium imaging, to the study of serotonergic circuits.