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Our main research goal is to determine how thalamic neurons and their networks facilitate learning.
We are interested in the cellular, network, and molecular mechanisms that help animals integrate new information into existing schemas, generalize from specific experiences and learn from their mistakes. All the intellectual value for us of a state of mind depends on our after-memory of it. |
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Research questions
One of the most sophisticated functions of the mammalian brain is the ability to infer further knowledge from information stored in memory. This ability relies on the initial encoding of memory traces, but also on their processing during resting states and particularly during sleep. How does neuronal activity during NREM sleep contribute to learning? How do stored memory traces support generalization? How do we generate new insights from what we already know? |
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And a key brain target
The thalamus is a critical hub directly connected to cognitive areas like the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum, and also to regulatory regions like the hypothalamus, septum and state-related brainstem areas. Cells in the limbic thalamus may effectively serve as functional executives for cognitive function and regulate the flow of information in the forebrain as a function of contextual and behavioral states (emotion, sleep). |
