Trial lecture: 'How do visual stimuli reach brain areas important for episodic memory?'
Time and place: Dec. 17, 2024 10:15 AM, Auditorium 2 (U180), Kristine Bonnevies hus
Main research findings:
Forming associations between objects, places, actions, and outcomes is essential for understanding and navigating the world. The brain links stimuli to outcomes, enabling experience-based learning and the ability to generalize. This thesis investigates how visual associations are processed in the parahippocampal cortex of mice during spatial and non-spatial tasks. Using advanced genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs), I recorded neuronal activity as mice learned to associate visual cues with meaningful outcomes.
Key findings reveal that disrupting specific neurons in the postrhinal cortex (POR) impairs learning of these associations. Additionally, the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) - traditionally associated with spatial navigation - was also found to encode non-spatial associations, revealing a broader role in learning. Furthermore, during spatial navigation, the POR and MEC process visual information in distinct ways: the POR reliably responds to specific visual cues, while the MEC adjusts its activity depending on the spatial context.
These discoveries shed light on how different brain regions work together to process visual information and form associations, offering a deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory.
Adjudication committee
Prof. Matthew Nolan, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh
Ass. Prof. Hauður Freyja Ólafsdóttir, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen
Postdoc. Elie Farhat, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Chair of defense
Prof. Finn-Eirik Johansen, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Prof. Marianne Fyhn, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Researcher Kristian Kinden Lensjø, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Prof. Anders Malthe-Sørenssen, Department of Physics, University of Oslo