[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.onl...> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture Arseny Finkelstein Tel Aviv University on the topic of From microcircuits to cortex-wide networks: connectivity and information-flow underlying goal-directed behavior The lecture will be held on Zoom on June 17, 2026 at *11:00 am ET *

To receive the link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page

*Abstract: *Regulation of information flow in neuronal circuits is fundamental to flexible, goal-directed behavior. In this talk, I will discuss how cortical circuits organize neural activity and connectivity across spatial scales, from local microcircuits to distributed cortex-wide networks. Using naturalistic multidirectional reaching in mice, combined with large-scale calcium imaging and causal connectivity mapping of

20,000,000 neuronal pairs, we identified connectivity motifs and population dynamics underlying goal-directed behavior. I will first describe the organizational principles of the motor cortex, where neurons are arranged into functional mini-columns with recurrent connectivity motifs linked to task-related activity, and discuss the potential computational advantages of this architecture. I will then show how these principles extend to larger spatial scales. Imaging ~1,000,000 neurons across 10 cortical regions revealed high-dimensional local population activity patterns alongside coordinated cortex-wide dynamics mediated by synchronized inter-areal communication. These distributed network dynamics supported high-dimensional representations of short-term memory for target location. Together, these findings reveal how cortical networks are organized across spatial scales to support cognition.

*About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ ᐧ