MaPSS: Maths Postgraduate Seminar Series: Timothy Roberts -- Thermoregulation: A Three Timescales Problem

Hello all,

The next MaPSS talk of this semester will be at 17:00 on Mon 17th September in Carslaw
535. It’s a great opportunity to meet fellow postgrads, listen to an interesting talk,
and of course get free food!

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Speaker: Timothy Roberts

Title: Thermoregulation: A Three Timescales Problem

Abstract: The regulation of temperature in the human body is a critical task for 
survival. However, it is not known precisely how the body is able to monitor and
maintain its temperature. In broad terms, the body does the following. Environmental
temperature is sensed at the skin, and data relating to any changes in this ambient
temperature is sent via the central nervous system to the brain. At the same time the
brain is monitoring its own temperature, ie. the body’s internal temperature. These
two sets of data are then used to determine how the body should respond, if at all,
to changes in temperature. As a result signals are then relayed to various parts of
the body to enact temperature regulation responses. However, the precise details of
this process remain the subject of study. 

In this talk we look at a model of one small, but key piece of this system: a part of
the brain called the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus (PO/AH). Specifically, 
we analyse a model for individual PO/AH neurons and look at how they may be able to 
measure and respond to brain temperature. To do so I will begin by introducing the 
foundations and intuition behind geometric singular perturbation theory (GSPT), then 
apply this to the model in question.

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See you there!

Details can also be found on the school’s new Postgraduate Society website: 
http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/MaPS/mapss.html 
 
Cheers,
Alex