[visionlist] Workshop of Ideas in Neuroscience: What is a neuron? Paris, Jun 3-5

[Mateusz Kostecki]

Hello!

We are happy to announce the first workshop in our new series: *Back to
Basics*!

The goal of this series is to take a fresh look at the basic assumptions
held in our field.

In the first workshop, we will ask the most fundamental question: *What is
a neuron? *What properties should a cell have to be defined as such? An
answer to this question may seem obvious at first: it has to be a cell that
uses electrical signals, is connected to other neurons by synapses, and has
extended processes—axons and dendrites.

But the deeper we dig, the more challenging counterexamples we encounter:
clearly non-neural cells using action potentials; neurons without axons or
dendrites; or whole nerve nets in jellyfish that form a syncytium.  And
what defines a neuron during development, and how do its developmental
pathways differ from those of other cells? Can we draw clear boundaries
between neural and non-neural states?

Things are no easier in an artificial neural network: what exactly is a
processing unit in an ANN? How does it correspond to a biological neuron,
and what can we learn from these models?

The aim of this workshop is to look closely at different ways of defining a
biological or artificial neuron and try to have a fresh look at our basic
assumptions.

This workshop will be held in the spirit of our Schools of Ideas—with an
informal atmosphere, open exchange of thoughts and perspectives, in-depth
talks, and plenty of space for discussion.

Speakers:

Clarisse Brunet (Institut Curie)
Thibaut Brunet (Institut Pasteur)
Bassem Hassan (Paris Brain Institute)
Fred Keijzer (University of Groningen)
Aneta Koseska (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior)

The workshop will be held Jun 3-5th 2026, in Paris. Please find more info
and the application form here - https://nenckiopenlab.org/neuron/

With best wishes,
Mateusz Kostecki

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Mateusz Kostecki

PhD Student

Knapska Laboratory
Nencki Institute
02-093 Warsaw, Pasteura 3, Poland

https://twitter.com/mtkostecki

https://evolvingbehavior.blog/
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