Profile
Project Title: Decoding Spatial Uncertainty and Dopaminergic Responses in Virtual Navigation
Summary: Imagine walking through a foggy mountain trail where landmarks are hard to see or walking through an unfamiliar city with no map. How does the brain handle these uncertain conditions to help you find your way?
My project explores how the brain navigates uncertainty in space by investigating the hippocampal-entorhinal circuit, a key brain network involved in spatial memory and navigation.
Using virtual environments, I introduce different levels of uncertainty by introducing noise, like self-motion or visual landmarks, while monitoring neural activity in mice. This allows me to explore how spatial cells (place and grid cells) respond to these shifts in information. Additionally, I investigate how dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to learning and reward, plays a role in navigating uncertain environments.
This research will provide insights into how the brain processes spatial uncertainty and ambiguity, contributing to our understanding of decision-making, adaptation, and even diseases like Alzheimer's, where navigation abilities are impaired.
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