Brain circuits and dynamics for memory consolidation

我们生命中的每一刻都是独一无二的，可能会被我们一生铭记。大脑是如何形成只发生过一次的生活事件的持久印记的？现在已经确定，睡眠在加强新近形成的记忆方面起着至关重要的作用。在这种离线状态下，大脑选择并重新处理与未来使用最相关的信息。海马体是大脑中的一个区域，它通过在一次记忆中建立记忆痕迹来临时存储新信息。经过一段时间的成熟，可能从几天到几年不等，记忆最终存储在新皮层中。在睡眠期间，与新记忆相关的神经元模式在海马体及其皮层目标中重复播放，这表明海马体中这些神经元集合的重复能够在皮层中形成永久记忆痕迹。因此，海马体和皮层之间的交流被认为是记忆巩固的基本机制，然而信息是如何从海马体传入和传入的仍是未知的。丘脑在皮层区域之间传递神经元信号，特别是在海马体和皮层区域之间。我们的研究项目旨在研究海马体、新皮层和丘脑在新记忆形成过程中的动态协调。******从本质上讲，大脑是一个动态系统，在清醒和睡眠期间表现出跨越时间尺度数量级的振荡模式。在睡眠期间，海马体中近期记忆的重放是由丘脑-皮层网络的振荡协调的，以使这些大脑结构之间的通信达到最佳状态，但潜在的神经元过程在很大程度上仍然未知。因此，我们将通过研究这些振荡在内存中的作用来解决这个问题。为了实现这些目标，我们将结合尖端的实验技术，包括在自由移动的小鼠中使用多通道电生理学和遗传工具，以及先进的分析方法来量化大脑网络的动态。总之，这个项目将阐明大脑网络的动态，使大脑中新记忆的形成和加强成为可能

Each instant of our lives is unique, and can be potentially remembered for our entire lifespan. How does the brain manage to form a lasting imprint of life episodes that happened only once? It is now established that sleep plays a crucial role in strengthening recently formed memories. During this offline' state, the brain selects and reprocesses information that is the most relevant for future use. The hippocampus is a brain region that is essential for the temporary storage of new information by establishing a memory trace in one-shot'. After a period of maturation, that could range from days to years, memories are eventually stored in the neocortex. During sleep, neuronal patterns associated with new memories are replayed in the hippocampus and its cortical targets, suggesting that the repetition of these neuronal ensembles in the hippocampus enables the formation of permanent memory trace in the cortex. Therefore, the communication between the hippocampus and the cortex is believed to be a fundamental mechanism of memory consolidation, yet how information is routed to and from the hippocampus remains largely unknown. The thalamus relays neuronal signal between cortical areas, in particular between the hippocampal formation and cortical areas. Our research program aims to investigate the dynamical coordination of the hippocampus, the neocortex and the thalamus underlying the formation of new memories. ******The brain is, by essence, a dynamical system and exhibits oscillatory patterns during wakefulness and sleep that spans orders of magnitude of time scales. During sleep, the replay of recent memories in the hippocampus are coordinated by oscillations of the thalamo-cortical network to enable an optimal communication between these brain structures, but the underlying neuronal processes are still largely unknown. We will thus address this question by investigating the role of these oscillations in memory. To achieve these goals, we will use a combination of cutting-edge experimental techniques, including multi-channel electrophysiology and genetic tools in freely moving mice, as well as advanced analytical methods to quantify the dynamics of brain networks. In conclusion, this program will shed light on the dynamics of brain networks that enable the formation and strengthening of new memories in the brain.**