Available opportunities for students
The successful applicant is:
Very motivated student with passion for science, who is willing to commit to the requirements of behavioural research.
Can work in a team and communicate to others, but also be independent.
Doesn’t necessarily need any experience in the described techniques, only the will of learning, patience, and perseverance.
Methods
In vivo and in vitro electrophysiology
In vivo and in vitro imaging
Confocal imaging
2-photon laser scanning microscopy
Fiber photometry
Miniaturized fluorescence microscope imaging
Optogenetics and behavior
Rodent surgery
Virus-mediated circuit mapping
Immunohistochemistry
Current projects with open spots
Investigating the circuit mechanisms underlying an innate fear
The amygdala is known to process learned fears. Recent data from our lab suggest that the amygdala is also engaged in processing innate fear. This raises a dilemma: How the same regions can process two qualitatively different types of information, one requires learning, the other evolutionary hard-wired in our brain.
The student will investigate whether overlapping neurons within the amygdala process both information. The project involves, behavior, in vivo imaging, brain circuit mapping, optogenetics, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy.
Investigating the mechanisms underlying formation of long-lasting memories
Not all memories are created equal: some last a lifetime while others are lost soon after they are formed. What are the causes of this difference? The ultimate aim of this project is to understand the electrophysiological properties as well as the proteins that contribute to the formation of long-lived. The student will work on this project under the umbrella of the center for proteins in memory, PROMEMO. The project relies on variety of techniques, particularly behavior, optogenetics, electrophysiology, biochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy.