Detalles del proyecto
Description
PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The hippocampus is critical for episodic memory – the ability to record information about a single experience and
flexibly use this information to guide future action. The hippocampus is also implicated in spatial memory and
navigation, which are thought to depend on place cells. These functions are intertwined in natural behavior, as
an organism recalls individual memories to guide its navigational decisions. However, the physiological
mechanisms underlying the recollection of individual experiences remain unclear. It is furthermore unknown how
episodic recall influences the action-selection circuits which implement navigational decisions, as well as the role
of place cells in this process. I will use the food-caching behavior of black-capped chickadees as a model system
to address these questions. Chickadees are known to form single-shot, hippocampal-dependent cache
memories which they use to subsequently retrieve cached food items. I will identify neural signatures of episodic
memory recall in hippocampal activity, and develop a computational model of the mechanisms involved (Aim 1;
K99). To determine the mechanisms mediating memory’s interactions with decision making, I will characterize
neural tuning in areas downstream to the hippocampus which play a role in action selection, including the lateral
septum and nucleus accumbens (Aim 2; R00). The chickadee hippocampus exhibits many functional and
anatomical homologies with mammalian hippocampus, so results will reveal fundamental mechanisms broadly
shared across vertebrates. Episodic memory and hippocampal function contribute significantly to human quality
of life, and are disrupted by conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, so results will assist future technology
development to improve and preserve memory abilities in health and disease. Candidate and Career Goals: I
intend to obtain a tenure-track faculty position where I will establish an independent research lab. I will study
episodic memory and decision making using food-caching birds, with a focus on interactions between
hippocampal and subcortical brain areas. Career Development Plan: I will be trained by primary mentor Dr.
Dmitriy Aronov to develop novel behavioral paradigms and electrophysiological techniques in food-caching birds.
My co-mentor Dr. Larry Abbott will train me in developing computational circuit models of hippocampal function.
I will also receive training from co-mentor Dr. Jesse Goldberg in preparation for studying subcortical areas
involved in motor control and their interactions with hippocampus. In combination with the support of research
and professional development opportunities at Columbia University, this training will make me a highly
competitive candidate for research positions.
Estado | Activo |
---|---|
Fecha de inicio/Fecha fin | 4/8/24 → 3/31/25 |
Keywords
- Matemática computacional
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