Forebrain structures such as the hippocampus, neocortex and thalamus govern memory formation. However, it is not clear how these forebrain structures interact with the cerebellum or the autonomic nervous system to acquire and store memory traces of adaptive behavior. Our research aims to determine the brain-wide networks responsible for memory consolidation during sleep. To this end, we will train rodents in eyeblink classical conditioning and then manipulate either parasympathetic tone or cerebellar activity during memory replay in sleep. Further, we will develop novel quiet functional MRI approach and simultaneously record electrophysiology and functional imaging data in awake and naturally sleeping animals to describe the brain networks involved in encoding and consolidation of memories. The results will enable us to complement the existing models of systems level memory consolidation and can potentially be used to develop interventions for improving memory consolidation.

2023

2027