Research Questions and Methods
Outstanding questions we seek to address
How does the activity across the hippocampus lead to the formation of a new memory?
Do active dendritic signals participate in the formation of a new memory?
Are changes in synaptic strength the physical substrate of memory storage?
How does inhibition, neuromodulation and glial cell activity contribute to memory formation?
How do the above mechanisms contribute to memory recall?
How do neural circuits change as memories are altered following memory recall?
How does time effect the underlying neural circuitry of a memory?
Research Methods We Employ
Behavior in immersive virtual reality worlds
DREADD technology for specific circuit manipulations
Computational models to further understand the neural data we collect, which generates new, testable hypotheses
The VR-CFC method to perform CFC in headfixed mice navigating virtual environments
In vivo 2-photon functional imaging of large populations of neurons
In vivo 2-photon functional imaging of dendrites, spines and axons
1-photon optogenetic stimulation and inhibition of genetically defined neurons
2-photon optogenetic stimulation and inhibition of experimenter defined neurons and dendrites