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The Life Cycle of a Memory Trace: a New Understanding of Learning and Memory from Circuits to Synapses and Molecules

Objective

In MemoryLoci, we seek to understand the mammalian brain’s remarkable capacity to learn and remember. Episodic memory is central to most cognitive efforts and requires robust mechanisms to encode and retain salient features of our experiences while forgetting spurious details. What are the neural substrates of a memory trace, and how does the brain arbitrate among experiences for long-term storage? These central questions remain unresolved due to pervasive experimental roadblocks to our mechanistic understanding of the circuit-, cellular-, synaptic-, and molecular-level processes underlying information storage in the brain. Our groups have pioneered transformative approaches that now open the way to uncover the substrates of learning-related plasticity that support memory on scales from circuits to synapses and molecules. At the circuit level, we have innovated a method for indelible labeling of functionally identified memory-coding neurons in behaving animals, enabling correlated in-depth transcriptomic, molecular, physiological, and structural analyses of the functionally identified cells. At the synaptic-molecular level, we have pioneered all-optical approaches to directly interrogate synaptic plasticity and stability rules in behaving animals, followed by correlated molecular analysis of learning-related synaptic changes. We will integrate these foundational methodologies into a synergistic research program centered on the murine hippocampal circuit to decode the circuit, cellular, synaptic, and molecular logic of memory formation and retention. Our work will provide a profound understanding of how memories are formed and maintained in neural circuits. Thus, by establishing the circuit-, cellular-, synapse-, and molecular-level mechanisms of memory, our studies will revolutionize approaches to selectively modify the content of stored memories, which beckons new directions to treat memory pathologies in humans.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG

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Host institution

HUN-REN Kiserleti Orvostudomanyi Kutatointezet
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 3 333 313,00
Address
Szigony utca 43
1083 Budapest
Hungary

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Region
Közép-Magyarország Budapest Budapest
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 3 333 313,00

Beneficiaries (3)

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