Memory Binding in the Mammalian Hippocampus

该提案的总体目标是通过追求严谨的研究项目，使PI能够成功地竞争未来的研究资金，为PI成为独立科学家的职业生涯做好准备。项目的初始阶段（K99）是在记忆研究领域的领导者Howard Eichenbaum博士的指导下进行的。该项目的下一阶段（ROD）将由PI作为埃默里大学的独立科学家进行。该研究项目的科学目标是了解在陈述性记忆中支持空间和非空间信息绑定的海马体和海马体旁区域的电路。该项目利用了候选人在记忆研究方面的广泛经验，包括对大鼠的电生理研究和对健忘症患者的研究。在项目的指导阶段，PI获得了高级记录技术、计算建模、拨款写作和实验室管理技能方面的基本培训。该项目已经帮助PI实现了他的近期目标（在一所主要研究型大学获得终身职位），并承诺帮助他实现长期目标（建立一个包括人类和实验动物在内的尖端记忆研究项目）。相关性：海马体记忆系统支持对个人事件和世界知识的记忆，提供对心理健康至关重要的自我意识。以海马体为靶点的疾病非常普遍（例如，痴呆症、阿尔茨海默病），了解健康海马体记忆系统的基本功能对于理解记忆障碍至关重要。

The overall goal of this proposal is to prepare the PI for a career as an independent scientist by pursuing a rigorous research project that will allow the PI to compete successfully for future research funding. The initial (K99) phase of the project was conducted under the mentorship of a leader in the field of memory research, Dr. Howard Eichenbaum. The next (ROD) phase of the project will be conducted by PI as an independent scientist at Emory University. The scientific goal of the research project is to understand the circuitry in the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions that supports binding of spatial and nonspatial information in the service of declarative memory. The project takes advantage of the candidate's broad experience in memory research and includes electrophysiological studies in rats and studies with amnesic patients. During the mentored phase of the project, the PI acquired essential training in advanced recording techniques, computational modeling, grant writing, and laboratory management skills. The project has already assisted the PI in reaching his immediate goals (securing tenure-track employment at a major research university) and promises to aid in reaching his long-term goals (establish a program of cutting-edge memory research that includes work in both humans and experimental animals). Relevance: The hippocampal memory system supports memory for personal events and knowledge about the world, providing a sense of self that is essential to mental health. Diseases that target the hippocampus are prevalent (e.g., dementia, Alzheimer's disease), and knowledge about the fundamental function of the healthy hippocampal memory system will be crucial for understanding memory disorders.