Analyzing the Role of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Contextual Fear Memory

描述（由申请人提供）：该培训和研究奖将为候选人作为分子和行为神经科学家的独立职业做好准备，使用严格的行为测试和遗传操作来分析学习和记忆的大脑回路。候选人是一位实验心理学家，在动物学习领域拥有丰富的经验。根据该奖项提供的培训将在哥伦比亚大学精神病学系和神经科学系进行，并将使候选人能够（1）发展分子遗传学和定量显微镜的实验室技能;（2）扩展其分子遗传学和转化神经科学的知识，使其能够独立开发新的科学思想，将其研究成果与现有知识相结合，并将其与临床实践相结合;（3）接受专业发展的指导;（4）对科学实践中固有的伦理问题有深刻的理解。培训目标将通过一个结合实践培训，正式指导，并与经验丰富的独立研究人员，课程，研讨会出席和专业科学会议的咨询计划来实现。该奖项支持的研究将阐明成年海马神经发生有助于学习和记忆的机制。成年海马体保留了产生神经元的能力，并且迅速增长的文献证明成年出生的神经元在功能上是重要的。例如，这位候选人已经证明，使用辐射或诱导遗传方法阻断海马神经发生会损害情境恐惧条件反射，这是一种普遍存在的学习形式，其中生物体获得对预测伤害的环境的恐惧。使用情境恐惧条件反射作为模型系统，拟议的研究将使用有针对性的照射和遗传操作来分析成年出生的神经元如何有助于记忆的获取，保留和检索。拟议的研究将开发新的工具来研究成人出生的神经元在学习和行为中的作用，进一步加深我们对记忆生物学的理解，并可能深入了解神经发生的改变如何有助于病因学或治疗情绪障碍。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This training and research award will prepare the candidate for an independent career as a molecular and behavioral neuroscientist using rigorous behavioral testing and genetic manipulations to analyze the brain circuits underlying learning and memory. The candidate is an experimental psychologist with significant experience in the area of animal learning. Training provided under the award take place at Columbia University's Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and will enable the candidate to (1) develop laboratory skills in molecular genetics and quantitative microscopy; (2) expand his knowledge of molecular genetics and translational neuroscience so that he can independently develop novel scientific ideas, integrate his research findings with existing knowledge, and relate them to clinical practice; (3) receive mentorship in professional development; and (4) develop a strong understanding of the ethical issues inherent in the practice of science. The training goals will be accomplished through a program combining practical training, formal mentorship, and consultations with experienced independent researchers, coursework, seminar attendance, and professional scientific meetings. The research supported under the award will elucidate mechanisms through which adult hippocampal neurogenesis contributes to learning and memory. The adult hippocampus retains the ability to generate neurons, and a rapidly growing literature documents that adult-born neurons are functionally significant. The candidate has shown, for instance, that blocking hippocampal neurogenesis using irradiation or an inducible genetic method impairs contextual fear conditioning, a ubiquitous form of learning in which organisms acquire fear of environments that predict harm. Using contextual fear conditioning as a model system, the proposed research will use targeted irradiation and genetic manipulations to analyze how adult-born neurons contribute to acquisition, retention, and retrieval of memories. The proposed research will develop new tools for studying the role of adult-born neurons in learning and behavior, further our understanding of the biology of memory, and may give insight into how alterations in neurogenesis contribute to the etiology or treatment emotional disorders.