Wu Tsai Neuro Seminar w/ Antonio Fernandez-Ruiz

Good morning SOM Stanford Research Park Community,

We invite you to join us for next week’s Neurosciences Seminar. The seminar will be held in-person on the main Stanford campus with 3 satellite viewing locations in Stanford Research Park.

🗓️ Thurs, Oct 16, 2025

Neural circuit mechanisms for memory and prediction
Antonio Fernandez-Ruiz, PhD

Cornell University | Host: Yun Hwang

Episodic memory involves learning and recalling associations between items and their spatio-temporal context. Those memories can be further used to generate internal models of the world that enable making predictions. While the circuit mechanisms implementing those computations are not well understood, the hippocampo-cortical interactions have been implicated in both processes. Neural ensemble coordination across the hippocampus and associated cortical structures support learning and memory. Hippocampal ensemble reactivation broadcast memory representations to the rest of the brain, a process that supports memory consolidation, retrieval and planning. In this talk I will describe the neural circuit dynamics and plasticity mechanisms that support the formation and reactivation of internal models of the environment in behaving rodents. I will discuss our recent work showing how the sequential activation of cell assemblies is leveraged for planning upcoming spatial trajectories during memory-guided navigation and how their replay during sleep supports the selective consolidation of relevant memories, as well as the generalization of task structures. These findings contribute to a novel framework to understand the neural circuit dynamics that support the generation and use of internal models of the world to guide flexible behavior.

⏰ Time: 12:00-1:00 PM (PT)
Come 15 minutes early (11:45 AM) to enjoy coffee, cookies, and conversation with the speaker and your colleagues (main campus location only)

📍 Locations:

• Main Campus (in person): Gunn Rotunda (E241), Stanford Neurosciences Building
• Stanford Research Park satellite locations:
  • 3172 Porter Drive, Room 253
  • 3174 Porter Drive, Room 140
  • 1070 Arastradero Road, Room 211

Learn about the SRP satellites »

Learn more and get involved:

• Nominate speakers for the 2026-2027 seminar series
• About the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Seminar Series »
• Sign up to dine or meet with the seminar speakers »
• See all upcoming and past seminars »
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• Join the #neuroscience slack channel »

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Best regards,

Emily Elrod (she/they)
Programs Associate | Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University
📧 eelrod@stanford.edu | neuroscience@stanford.edu
💻 neuroscience.stanford.edu