Cognitive Functions of the Postrhinal Cortex.

[No authors listed]

UIID-NSF: 366

Abstract

Recollection of the environment (or context) in which real-life events occur is a hallmark of everyday memory. Yet, our understanding of how and where context is represented and how such representations interact with other aspects of learning and memory processes is incomplete. The proposed studies will employ multidisciplinary approaches in an animal model to understand how the brain acquires, encodes, and processes information about the environment. These studies specifically address the cognitive functions of the rodent postrhinal cortex, which exhibits strong connectional homology with the primate parahippocampal cortex. The primary objective is to delineate the role of the postrhinal cortex in contextual learning. Prior studies from the investigator's laboratory showed that this region is necessary for contextual fear conditioning and that the contribution to contextual learning extends to at least 100 days. The specific aims address three hypotheses: The postrhinal cortex is involved in the encoding of perceptual information that forms contextual representations; the postrhinal contribution extends to all forms of contextual learning; and, the postrhinal and perirhinal cortices make different contributions to contextual learning. Accomplishing these research aims will provide highly novel information about the role of the postrhinal cortex in cognition. This information will be available to guide further investigations of the primate parahippocampal functions. An additional goal of this project is to enhance research experiences of undergraduates belonging to groups that are underrepresented in neuroscience. During each summer of the award, the investigator will teach a behavioral neuroscience laboratory course for Brown University undergraduates and undergraduates from Tougaloo College. Tougaloo College is a private, historically black, church-related college in Jackson, Mississippi, which has strong biology programs, but limited course work in behavioral neuroscience research. The goal is to use the laboratory course as a small early identification program for behavioral neuroscience graduate study.

Other Details

• Award Instrument: Continuing grant
• Email: [email protected]
• Organization: Brown University
• Other Investigators: Nevin Aspinwall
• Primary Investigator: Rebecca Burwell
• Program(s): BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, BEHAVIORAL SYSTEMS CLUSTER, MODULATION
• Start Date: 07/01/2005