v.

1/18/16

KAVLI  FUTURES  SYMPOSIUM  

June  25-­‐26,  2016  

  BRAIN  INITIATIVE  
University  of  California  Santa  Barbara  
 

THE SYNAPSE HYPOTHESIS: TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Where  is  memory?  
The   dominant   theory   of   how   the   brain   stores   memories   holds   that   they   are   stored   in   synapses.   This   is   written   in  
textbooks,  presented  at  scientific  meetings,  and  communicated  to  the  public;  but  is  this  correct?  Recent  challenges  to  
this  dogma  suggest  alternatives  that  would  shatter  the  synapse/memory  theory:  But  the  truth  is  not  known.  
The   Sage   Center   for   the   Study   of   the   Mind,   UCSB   Brain   Initiative,   and   Center   for   Mind   and   Brain   at   UC   Davis,   in  
conjunction  with  Kavli  Summer  Institute  in  Cognitive  Neuroscience  invites  you  to  the  conversation.  The  symposium  will  
solicit   alternate   theories   of   information   encoding   in   the   brain.   At   this   2-­‐day   Kavli   Futures   Symposium   we   will   discuss  
alternate  theories  of  memory  storage,  and  develop  testable  hypotheses  that  would  produce  definitive  evidence  for  or  
against  these  revolutionary  alternates.  

MEETING  FORMAT  
The  Kavli  Futures  Symposium  will  include  5  key  participants  who  each  give  a  30-­‐minute  pitch.  Each  pitch  will  provide  an  
alternate  theory  of  information  storage  and  will  address  4  key  questions  (see  below).  Each  pitch  will  be  assigned  1-­‐2  pre-­‐
specified  leaders  of  a  60  minute  structured  discussion.  The  discussion  will  include  a  brief  verbal  critique  of  the  pitch  by  
the  leaders  and  meeting  participants.  The  purpose  of  the  structured  discussions  is  to  leave  with  concrete  suggestions  for    
experiments  to  test  the  conclusions  drawn  and/or  ideas  presented  in  the  pitch.    

TIMELINE  

PITCH  CONTENT   DATE  

Each  key  participant  will  be  asked  to  answer  1   February   Invitations  will  be  extended  for  pitch-­‐makers.  
fundamental  question  and  4  sub-­‐questions.   2016  
What  alternative  media  could  preserve  acquired   April  2016   Pitch  proposals:  Each  pitch-­‐maker  will  provide  an  
information  in  a  computationally  accessible  form?   outline  of  their  pitch,  addressing  the  questions  
o What  are  advantages  &  disadvantages  of  storage   below.  The  document  will  be  no  more  than  3  
in  this  form?       single-­‐spaces  pages  and  1  figure.  A  pitch-­‐maker  
o What  input  information  is  being  encoded?  How   who  fails  to  provide  their  precis  on  time  will  be  
might  information  encoded  in  spike  trains   asked  to  stand  aside  for  another  pitch-­‐maker.  
arriving  at  synapses  be  translated  into  enduring   May  2016   Pitch  selection  &  dissemination:  Pitches  will  be  
alterations  in  the  suggested  medium?     selected  and  the  “key  participants”  will  be  
o What  output  information  is  being  conveyed?   identified.  Selected  pitches  will  be  disseminated  
How  might  the  information  encoded  in  the   to  all  meeting  participants.  1-­‐2  participants  will  
memory  medium  be  translated  back  into  spike   be  selected  to  lead  the  discussion  of  each  pitch.  
trains?   Early  June   Key  participants  will  receive  questions  from  
o How  might  information  stored  in  that  medium   2016   discussion  leaders.  
enter  into  basic  computational  operations  (logic   Symposium   At  the  meeting,  each  key  participant  will  present  
&  arithmetic)?  Could  these  operations  be   June  25-­‐26   his  or  her  30-­‐minute  pitch.  A  60  minute  
implemented  at  the  molecular  level?   discussion  of  each  pitch  will  follow.    
 
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FORMAT  
 

o Pitch   proposals:   We   will   start   with   the   premise   that   synaptic   conductances   are   not   the   basis   of   memory.   We   will  
invite  participants  to  submit  an  alternate  theory  and  address  4  sub-­‐questions  (see  table  above).  Each  proposal  will  
briefly(!)   describe   an   argument   for   or   against   the   conclusion   that   changes   in   synaptic   conductances   store   the  
information   acquired   in   an   experimental   protocol.   It   should   specify   the   information   that   they   believe   is   stored   in  
their   example   with   sufficient   clarity   so   that   one   could   readily   see   how   that   information   could   be   stored   in,   for  
example,  computer  memory  or  in  DNA.    
o Pitch  selection  &  dissemination:  We  will  select  4-­‐6  key  participants  whose  pitches  will  provide  the  substrate  for  the  
meeting.  The  broad  outlines  of  each  selected  pitch  will  be  made  available  to  the  other  participants  a  month  before  
the  meeting.  1-­‐2  leaders  will  be  assigned  to  each  pitch.  
o Leader  rebuttals:  Key  participants  will  receive  questions  and  feedback  from  discussion  leaders.  This  will  include  the  
content  of  the  formal  rebuttal  in  the  structured  discussion.  

MEETING  AGENDA  
 
Time   Event   Description  
The   meeting   will   be   a   2-­‐day   Kavli   Futures   Symposium   in  
DAY  1  
conjunction   with   the   2016   Kavli   Summer   Institute   in   8:30   Breakfast    
Cognitive   Neuroscience   to   be   held   a   UCSB.   Active   9:00   Welcome   Gallistel  &  Gazzaniga  
participants  are  expected  to  attend  the  full  2-­‐day  session.   9:30     Pitch  1    
10:00   Discussion  1    
Key  participants  will  give  their  30  minute  pitches.  Discussion   11:00   Coffee    
leaders  will  give  their  rebuttal  and  then  steer  the  discussion   11:30   Pitch  2    
towards  the  most  important  experiments  that  would  prove   12:00   Discussion  2    
1:00   Lunch    
or  disprove  the  different  theories.    
2:00   Pitch  3    
Invited  key  participants  and  Kavli  Summer  Institute  Fellows   2:30   Discussion  3    
3:30   Coffee    
participating   will   attend   all   sessions   and   expenses   will   be  
4:00   Pitch  4    
covered   for   key   participants.   Outside   participants   will   be   4:30   Discussion  4    
allowed   into   each   session.   The   public   session   and   cocktail   5:30   Cocktails    
hour  on  day  2  will  be  widely  advertised  and  open  to  all.   6:30   Dinner    
DAY  2  
8:30   Breakfast    
ORGANIZERS   9:00   Pitch  5    
9:30   Discussion  5    
Randy  Gallistel,  Rutgers  Center  for  Cognitive  Science  
10:30     Coffee    
Michael  S.  Gazzaniga,  UCSB  Sage  Center   11:00   Pitch  6    
11:30   Discussion  6    
Bridget  Queenan,  UCSB  Brain  Initiative   12:30   Lunch    
1:30   Discussion   Recap  theories  and  determine  key  
Mike  Miller  and  Barry  Giesbrecht,  Kavli  Summer  Institute  in   experiments  for  each  
Cognitive  Neuroscience   4:30   Public  session   Public  lecture  for  larger  audience  
6:30   Cocktails    
  8:00   Dinner