CephNeuroAI Interdisciplinary Research Dialogue: MIT × MBL

Date, Time, and Location

9:30 AM – 4:30 PM, May 30 (Friday), 2025

MIT Bldg 46-4300

Overview

This CephNueoAI Interdisciplinary Dialogue brings together researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) to explore questions at the intersection of neuroscience, engineering, and marine biology. Through lab visits, collaborative discussions, and an invited talk, it fosters meaningful cross-disciplinary exchange. The event also serves as a pilot model for convergence research centered on cephalopod intelligence and adaptive biocomputation.

Program

9:30–9:55	Coffee & Welcome Chat
10:00–11:00	Brandon Weissbourd (MIT Biology) Collaborative Discussion and Lab Visit
11:15–12:15	Luncheon Meeting
12:30–1:30	MIT Media Lab Lab Visit
1:35–2:00	Coffee Chat
2:00–2:05	Welcome & Initiative Overview
2:05–3:00	Horst Obenhaus (Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience; Marine Biological Laboratory) *“Investigations into active sleep in cephalopods”* Guest Lecture
3:00–3:25	Takato Honda (MIT Picower Institute) Collaborative Discussion
3:30–4:30	MIT.nano Lab Visit

Guest Lecture

Horst Obenhaus

**Investigations into active sleep in cephalopods**

Abstract: Sleep is essential for survival across many species, yet its precise functional significance remains elusive. Research suggests that sleep serves multiple roles, including the consolidation of memories, where the brain transforms recent experiences and newly acquired skills into long-term memory. This is supported by evidence showing that some neurons reactivate during sleep in the same sequence as during wakefulness – a phenomenon known as replay – which is believed to be critical for memory consolidation. In developing nervous systems, sleep-related activations are also thought to contribute to the refinement of synaptic control in sensory-motor circuits. However, the mechanisms and broader distribution of these neuronal sleep (re)activation phenomena during development and in adults are only partially understood. In my research, I am leveraging the discovery of active sleep in octopuses and cuttlefish, coleoid cephalopods that have more than 550 million years of evolutionary distance from us. During these sleep phases, cephalopods cycle through colorful skin pattern displays, which are themselves directly controlled by their central brain, down to the level of microscopic chromatophores that tile their skin like pixels in a digital display. The recording and analysis of skin patterns thereby enables non-invasive brain imaging in cephalopods during wakefulness and sleep. My goal is to uncover the functional significance of active sleep phases in cephalopods and to connect these findings to the existing literature on activation phenomena in the vertebrate nervous system during sleep. I will discuss my research on tracing the emergence and potential significance of sleep activation phenomena during the early development of Octopus bimaculoides hatchlings, and their possible resemblance to neural replay events observed in adult Sepia bandensis cuttlefish.

Biography: Horst Obenhaus completed his medical degree at Heidelberg University (Germany) in 2015 and conducted his doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, in the department of Professor Peter H. Seeburg. He subsequently joined the lab of Professors Edvard and May-Britt Moser at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim for his postdoctoral training. Two summers ago, he was awarded a Grass Fellowship at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, where he launched his independent research program in cephalopod neuroscience, focusing on sleep and memory consolidation. His project received additional support from the MBL, the Grass Foundation, and the Kavli Foundation, enabling an extended research stay. This summer, he is continuing to the MBL as a Whitman Fellow to continue this work.

Inquiry Contacts

Ray Lee (raylee@mit.edu; program)

Shubham Yadav (shyadav@mit.edu; connection)

Jiafu Zeng (jiafuz@mit.edu; logistics)