Circuit mechanisms for reinforced learning
Munich Psychiatry Lecture Series | MPLS
- Date: Feb 21, 2017
- Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Pico Caroni
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
- Location: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
- Room: Lecture Hall
- Host: Alessio Attardo
- Contact: alessio_attardo@psych.mpg.de
An isolated experience can produce long-lasting memories, but learning often involves multiple interactions with related information. The outcome of these interactions could be integrated incrementally, independent of when individual interactions occur. Alternatively, integration might occur within dedicated periods of time, breaking down learning processes into discrete time units. I will provide evidence that related information acquired within time windows of 5h (time units for learning) is combined to determine whether and what mice learn.
Our results reveal that learning processes consist of discrete 5h time units specifically dedicated to learning, within which sufficient trials need to be executed, and learning is highly sensitive to associational interference. These time units for learning involve maintenance of specific system-wide neuronal assemblies through network activity and cFos expression.