H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

DREAM · The Brainstem-Hippocampus Network Uncovered: Dynamics, Reactivation and Memory Consolidation

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-08-01 → 2021-07-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 174 167 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Връзката между мозъчния ствол и хипокампуса по време на сън разкрива как се пренасят спомените за дългосрочно съхранение. Разбирането на тези механизми помага да се разбере как мозъкът координира процесите по формиране и затвърждаване на паметта.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

The Brainstem-Hippocampus Network Uncovered: Dynamics, Reactivation and Memory Consolidation

Sleep has various physiological functions, including the consolidation of memories. Current theories establish that memories are transiently stored in the hippocampus and transferred to the neocortex for long-term storage during sleep. In particular, during offline brain states, the hippocampus enables the reactivation of training trials through the spontaneous retrieval of previous memories. These processes are associated with plastic changes in distinct brain circuits, heralded by different types of macroscopic electrical activities that occur upon changes in the neuromodulatory activity of the brainstem. The brainstem prompts periods of both enduring and transient changes of neuronal excitability that affect the activity of other sub-structures in a precise manner. Thus, brainstem activity is likely critical for long-range coordination of several brain structures underlying memory formation. However, what specific neural mechanisms allow these subcortical regions to participate in memory formation? The aim of this project is to uncover the role of different sleep stages in memory formation and long-term consolidation, and to elucidate the functional role of sleep-associated subcortical coordination events in these processes. To achieve this aim, the first objective is to identify memory reactivations in the hippocampus across sleep stages, and to quantify how these reactivations relate to specific oscillatory events in pontine and thalamic nuclei. The second objective is to identify specific neural mechanisms that trigger different hippocampal synchrony regimes specifically mediated by the brainstem activity during wakefulness and sleep. The third objective is to selectively interrupt the activity of pontine nuclei in order to determine their causal role in regulating hippocampal circuits, and the behavioural performance of the animals. Finally, the fourth objective is to elucidate through computational simulations the microcircuit mechanisms that mediate the interactions between the pontine nuclei, thalamic nuclei and the hippocampus, possibly underlying systems and synaptic consolidation.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

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.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AUSTRIA · KlosterneuburgКоординаторАвстрия