Circuit Mechanisms of Behavior

We are what we remember: Learning and memory are fundamental building blocks of our identity and knowledge of the past informs our behavior in the present. The persistence of memory is one of the most striking and defining features of cognition. However, the neural circuits supporting normal processing in the brain appear to constantly rearrange themselves. But how can stable memory arise if network structure itself seemingly is in constant flux?

In our group at the IEECR we study the stability and stabilisation of the neural code in sensation and memory. We address the “stability-plasticity-conundrum” in the mouse visual system, retrosplenial cortex, and hippocampal formation on multiple scales, ranging from the synaptic to the circuit level.

We focus on establishing novel densely quantified behavioral paradigms, emphasizing unrestrained behavior, longitudinal synapse- and circuit-level optophysiology, and the use and further development of both miniaturized and bench-top two-photon microscopy. Ultimately, we aim to better understand the circuit dynamics underlying complex, visually guided behavior during learning and memory.

Circuit Mechanisms of Behavior

We are what we remember: Learning and memory are fundamental building blocks of our identity and knowledge of the past informs our behavior in the present. The persistence of memory is one of the most striking and defining features of cognition. However, the neural circuits supporting normal processing in the brain appear to constantly rearrange themselves. But how can stable memory arise if network structure itself seemingly is in constant flux?

In our group at the IEECR we study the stability and stabilisation of the neural code in sensation and memory. We address the “stability-plasticity-conundrum” in the mouse visual system, retrosplenial cortex, and hippocampal formation on multiple scales, ranging from the synaptic to the circuit level.

We focus on establishing novel densely quantified behavioral paradigms, emphasizing unrestrained behavior, longitudinal synapse- and circuit-level optophysiology, and the use and further development of both miniaturized and bench-top two-photon microscopy. Ultimately, we aim to better understand the circuit dynamics underlying complex, visually guided behavior during learning and memory.

Circuit Mechanisms of Behavior

We are what we remember: Learning and memory are fundamental building blocks of our identity and knowledge of the past informs our behavior in the present. The persistence of memory is one of the most striking and defining features of cognition. However, the neural circuits supporting normal processing in the brain appear to constantly rearrange themselves. But how can stable memory arise if network structure itself seemingly is in constant flux?

In our group at the IEECR we study the stability and stabilisation of the neural code in sensation and memory. We address the “stability-plasticity-conundrum” in the mouse visual system, retrosplenial cortex, and hippocampal formation on multiple scales, ranging from the synaptic to the circuit level.

We focus on establishing novel densely quantified behavioral paradigms, emphasizing unrestrained behavior, longitudinal synapse- and circuit-level optophysiology, and the use and further development of both miniaturized and bench-top two-photon microscopy. Ultimately, we aim to better understand the circuit dynamics underlying complex, visually guided behavior during learning and memory.

Consortia

Consortia

Resources

The BTC offers a rich repertoire of cutting-edge technologies organized into 12 core facilities. Numerous transgenic mouse lines and viral vectors is freely available at our in-house repositories.

Resources

The BTC offers a rich repertoire of cutting-edge technologies organized into 12 core facilities. Numerous transgenic mouse lines and viral vectors is freely available at our in-house repositories.

Resources

The BTC offers a rich repertoire of cutting-edge technologies organized into 12 core facilities. Numerous transgenic mouse lines and viral vectors is freely available at our in-house repositories.