Keio University Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (WPI-Bio2Q) held a seminar as follows.

Date：16:00 -17:00, October 22, 2026

Venue：JKiC 1F, Seminar Room, Shinanomachi Campus, Keio University

Speaker：Peter Scheiffele, PhD

Professor, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland

Title：
Control of Visual Cortex Wiring and Molecular Programs by Spontaneous Neuronal Activity

Abstract：

How does the brain prepare for vision before the eyes even open?

During early development, neurons generate spontaneous patterns of activity long before sensory experience begins. Using long-term two-photon imaging in the developing mouse visual cortex, the Scheiffele laboratory found that these early activity patterns already contain features of the functional networks that later process visual information.

Their studies further reveal that neurons differ in how strongly they participate in early spontaneous activity—and that this early history is linked to how selectively they later respond to visual stimuli.
By combining functional imaging with advanced transcriptomic approaches, the team also uncovered developmental changes in gene regulation that allow spontaneous and sensory-driven activity to engage distinct molecular programs.

Together, these findings show how early neuronal activity helps shape both the functional organization and molecular identity of the developing visual cortex.