Role of midline thalamic neurons during memory related hippocampal and cortical network activity

Emotional memories guide our social interactions, everyday decisions, and are indispensable for survival.

However, malfunction of brain networks involved in emotional processing may lead to a variety of anxiety-related and other psychiatric disorders, harmful for the individual and a burden, even a threat, to society.

Emotions are associated with generalized arousal, however, it is not well understood how arousal systems play role in emotional memory processing at the network level. HippoFronThal aims to investigate the role of a specific thalamic arousal system in emotional processing.

The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are the core of an evolutionary conserved distributed system for governing experience-based behavior.

Previously we identified a molecularly specific neuronal population within the dorsal midline thalamus, which efficiently convey arousal to large parts of the forebrain.

These neurons are uniquely connected to the hippocampal-prefrontal system, possessing a strategic position to modulate hippocampal-cortical information transfer.

The specific goal of HippoFronThal is to investigate, how neuronal activity of the dorsal midline thalamus interacts with network activity of the hippocampal-prefrontal system during emotional processing.

To accomplish this goal, I will utilize molecular-genetic approaches to ensure anatomical specificity, perform high throughput electrophysiological recordings with outstanding spatio-temporal resolution, apply optogenetics to cell-type specific circuit interrogation with high spatio-temporal specificity, and use ecologically relevant behavioral essays to examine thalamic involvement in innate and memory related emotional processing.HippoFronThal will improve our understanding in how arousal circuits interact with memory circuits in the brain.

These results might help clinicians to target specific neuronal population or mechanisms in order to treat anxiety-related disorders in humans.