Prefrontal-hippocampal interactions in associative learning

在不同刺激之间形成联系是学习和记忆的基本组成部分。海马体和前额叶皮质是大脑中的两个区域，被认为在形成联想记忆方面起着关键作用。然而，这些大脑结构形成联系的能力背后的神经机制却知之甚少。这个项目将使用多电极记录来监测在学习简单联想的过程中海马体和前额叶皮质的神经活动。这些实验将表征神经元在整个学习过程中的激活情况，以确定这些大脑回路如何有助于记忆的形成。这项研究需要一种跨学科的方法，使用神经科学、工程学和数学的技术，为下一代学生和研究人员提供丰富的培训经验。教育努力还将包括发展与当地K-12学校的紧密联系，积极参与为未被充分代表的少数民族提供研究机会的项目，以及旨在让公众接触记忆研究的讲座和活动。该项目还涉及计算基础设施的开发，这可能有助于提高大规模脑记录的规模和效率。

Forming associations between different stimuli is a fundamental building block for learning and memory. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are two brain regions that are believed to play a critical role in forming memories of associations. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the ability of these brain structures to form associations are poorly understood. This project will employ multi-electrode recordings to monitor neural activity in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex during the learning of simple associations. These experiments will characterize the firing of neurons throughout the course of learning in order to determine how these brain circuits contribute to the formation of memories. This research requires an interdisciplinary approach employing techniques from neuroscience, engineering, and mathematics, providing a rich training experience for the next generation of students and researchers. Educational efforts will also involve the development of strong ties to local K-12 schools, active participation in programs providing research opportunities to underrepresented minorities, and talks and events aimed at exposing the public to memory research. This project also involves the development of computational infrastructure that may help advance the scale and efficacy of large-scale brain recordings.