Synaptic Plasticity and Learning
In order to accommodate the changing world an animal
experiences, it must be able to learn about and remember
aspects of its environment.
Learning and memory require adaptive changes in the
strength of communication between neurons, a property
known as synaptic plasticity.
Members of the Synaptic Plasticity and Learning group
study the mechanisms of activity-dependent changes in
synaptic communication as well as behavioral aspects
of learning and memory. This research area includes
the function of brain regions involved in learning and
memory, changes in the activity of neurons as animals
learn, alterations in synaptic plasticity in animal
models of neurodegenerative diseases, the plastic responses
of the nervous system in injury and disease, the plasticity
of the developing nervous system, and investigations
of the molecular mechanisms of long-term changes in
synaptic protein structure and function. A variety of
techniques and approaches are used in these studies,
including imaging, electrophysiology, behavioral analyses,
molecular genetics, pharmacology, and developmental
studies.
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