Topic: slice electrophysiology

One of the most fascinating properties of the brain is its ability to adjust behaviors, which typically results from experience-dependent modifications of neuronal circuits. Synaptic plasticity refers to changes in synaptic strength at pre-existing synapses induced by transient activity. By modifying neural circuit flow, synaptic plasticity is believed to play a central role in the capacity of the brain to incorporate new experiences into persistent memories. Long-term potentiation has emerged as a prominent mechanism associated with learning and memory. Protein synthesis is well-recognized as

The full-length amyloid precursor protein (APP), a key player in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is ubiquitously expressed in a large majority of neurons, including GABAergic interneurons (INTs). Recent studies showed evidence of disrupted hippocampal plasticity in conditional APP KO of GABAergic forebrain neurons (Mehr et al, 2020). However, the physiological functions of APP at inhibitory synapses remain to be defined. We to study the role of APP at inhibitory synapses onto CA3 pyramidal cells (PCs) as well as on the overall inhibitory balance within the CA3 network. We combine slice electrophysio

The primary function of the sensory cortex is to analyze incoming stimuli from the periphery, distinguishing and interpreting them to guide behavior. Among sensory stimuli, gustatory information enables animals to analyze the food identity and recognize the nutrition and hedonic values (e.g., palatable as sucrose, versus aversive as citric acid) to avoid poisons and regulate feeding behaviors, making it crucial for survival. Despite the importance of gustatory processing, our knowledge of the underlying neuronal circuits and their activity remains remarkably incomplete, especially compared to