Representational drift and its consequences for learning and memory

Organizers

Jens-Bastian Eppler | Centre de Recerca Matematica, Barcelona, Spain
Alex Roxin | Centre de Recerca Matematica, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

Recent years have revealed that neuronal representations are not stable, but instead change over time, a phenomenon known a representational drift. This workshop aims to explore the consequences of this drift for learning, memory consolidation, and behavioral stability. We will bring together experimental and theoretical perspectives to address key questions: How does representational drift manifest across brain areas and tasks? How can the brain maintain stable behavior and memory performance despite ongoing changes in neuronal activity? And what mechanisms might underlie the coexistence of plasticity and stability across different levels of brain organization? The workshop will feature eight talks by invited speakers, complemented by an introductory overview and a concluding summary provided by the organizers, as well as a dedicated discussion session to foster interaction and synthesis across disciplines.

Schedule (CEST)

Monday, Sept 29

14:00

Introduction

14:30

Yaniv Ziv/Alon Rubin | Weizmann Institute of Science, Rechovot, Israel
Drift of spatial codes in hippocampus and cortex

15:15

Felipe Kalle Kossio | University of Bonn, Germany
Engram drift and memory consolidation

16:00

Coffee break

16:30

Eva Dyer | Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
Towards a foundation model for neural data

17:15

Charles Micou | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Designing around drift: Constraints for a system plastic at every layer

18:00

Discussion

Tuesday, Sept 30

8:30

Luca Mazzucato | University of Oregon, USA
Differential encoding of temporal context and expectation under representational drift across hierarchically connected areas

9:15

Simon Rumpel | Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Representational maps in the auditory cortex

10:00

Coffee break

10:30

Denise Cai | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
The tug-of-war between memory stability and flexibility

11:15

Marlene Bartos | University of Freiburg, Germany
Coordinated representational drift supports stable place coding in hippocampal CA1

12:00

Discussion