Spatial learning

海马体的损伤阻止了人类新的长期记忆的形成，并阻止了大鼠空间地图的编码。 海马受损也发生在阿尔茨海默病患者中。 无法存储信息可能是因为人们缺乏为新事件创建良好时空图的能力。我的研究分析了空间图形成的基本过程。 这项工作是在老鼠身上进行的。 我研究的地图形成的食欲的情况下，老鼠正在寻找食物的位置。 我还研究了在令人厌恶的情况下，老鼠正在寻找一个隐藏的平台，使他们能够逃离水的位置地图的形成。 目前的工作研究的因素，有助于大鼠知道他们在他们的环境中的基础上，他们的能力，路径整合。 路径整合是一个非常重要的计算过程，它允许生物体通过使用有关其自身运动的信息来跟踪其相对于其行程起点的位置。 路径整合也很重要，因为它被认为是形成空间地图的基础。 我的研究还探讨了路径整合如何与记忆过程相互作用，以及如何在环境中旅行使老鼠变得定向。 我的方法有助于我们理解一个基本的认知过程，并发展一个统一的空间学习和记忆理论。 了解空间学习和记忆的过程使我们能够提供更好的认知功能障碍模型，并最终改善人类的这些功能障碍。 这使加拿大人受益，因为只有当我们了解这些药物影响的过程时，旨在帮助人们的药物治疗才是有效和安全的。

Damage to the hippocampus prevents the formation of new long term memories in humans and prevents the encoding of spatial maps in rats.  A compromised hippocampus also occurs in patients with Alzheimer's disease.  Failure to store information may occur because the person lacks the capacity to create a good spatial-temporal map for new events.My research analyzes the fundamental processes that are involved in the formation of spatial maps.  This work is being carried out in rats.  I examine the formation of maps in appetitive situations where the rats are searching out the location of food.  I also examine the formation of maps in aversive situations where rats are searching for the location of a hidden platform that allows them to escape from water.  The current work examines the factors that contribute to rats knowing where they are in their environment based upon their capacity to path integrate.  Path integration is an extremely important computational process that allows an organism to keep track of its position relative to the starting point of its trip by using information about its own movement.  Path integration is also important because it is believed to underlie the formation of spatial maps.  My research also examines how path integration interacts with memory processes and how traveling through an environment enables a rat to become oriented.  My approach contributes to our understanding of a fundamental cognitive process and to the development of a unified theory of spatial learning and memory.  Understanding the processes that go into spatial learning and memory enables us to provide better models of cognitive dysfunction and, ultimately, to ameliorate those dysfunctions in humans.  This benefits Canadians because drug treatments that are devised to help people are only effective and safe if we understand the processes that these drugs influence.