Descrizione del progetto
La formazione della memoria potrebbe basarsi sul sincronismo tra tronco cerebrale e ippocampo
Le mappe strutturali e funzionali del cervello e del tronco cerebrale hanno fatto luce sui circuiti neuronali e sulle loro interconnessioni in modo significativo. In combinazione con studi comportamentali, l’attività interconnessa può essere collegata a funzioni superiori. Mentre è noto da tempo che l’ippocampo svolge un ruolo chiave nei processi della memoria, il ruolo del tronco cerebrale nella memoria rimane in gran parte sconosciuto. L’attività sincronizzata è stata tuttavia collegata alla formazione della memoria, con il tronco cerebrale che la modula durante il sonno e la veglia. DREAM registra simultaneamente l’attività neuronale nel tronco cerebrale e nell’ippocampo in topi che eseguono un compito di memoria o in topi addormentati. L’elaborazione avanzata del segnale e l’apprendimento automatico potrebbero fornire un modello delle interazioni dinamiche tra il tronco cerebrale e l’ippocampo e la loro relazione con i processi di memoria.
Obiettivo
Storing information and then using it to guide behaviour is one of the most remarkable abilities of the brain. Memory storage relies on network mechanisms in which the hippocampal formation interacts with the rest of the brain during periods of sleep. The neural computations associated with this process correlate with both enduring and transient changes in the excitability of neural circuits. Nuclei located in the brainstem dictate these ‘state changes’, modulating the signalling between groups of forebrain cells. However, the role of the brainstem in memory formation remains unknown. This project aims to determine the role of different sleep stages in memory formation and long-term consolidation, and to elucidate the functional role of the brainstem in these processes. To this end, I will use a battery of experimental techniques, mathematical methods and biophysical models to probe and analyse the neural activity of the brainstem-hippocampal system. Neuronal activity will be recorded concurrently from the pons, thalamus and hippocampus of mice while performing a reference memory task. I will identify specific neural mechanisms that trigger different hippocampal synchrony regimes and memory reactivations mediated by brainstem activity during wakefulness and sleep. For this, I will develop state-of-the-art methods based on signal processing and machine learning. Besides, using optogenetic tools, I will determine the causal role of the brainstem in regulating hippocampal circuits and the animals’ behavioural performance. Finally, I will develop a biophysical model to test how well different network mechanisms explain the dynamics of the interactions between the brainstem and the hippocampus. Understanding the detailed properties of the interactions between these systems of the brain in relation to memory processes will be an important step toward establishing neurophysiological markers that can be preventive targets to ameliorate effects of memory-related pathologies.
Campo scientifico
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinatore
3400 Klosterneuburg
Austria