Abstract:

When faced with potential predators, animals instinctively decide whether there is a threat they should escape from, and also when, how, and where to take evasive action. While escape is often viewed in classical ethology as an action that is released upon presentation of specific stimuli, successful and adaptive escape behavior relies on integrating information from sensory systems, stored knowledge, and internal states. I will discuss the strategies that mice use to navigate to shelter during threat, how they learn efficient escape routes, and how these processes are computed at the synaptic and neural circuit levels.