We currently have three main research streams in the lab:
Memory Destabilization and Updating
For several years, we have investigated the nature of reactivation-based memory destabilization and updating. Our past work has implicated the cholinergic system in object memory destabilization, and we are currently studying the molecular bases of this role, as well as its generalizabilty to other forms of memory and the effects of ACh and other neurotransmitter systems on memory storage dynamics. This work is currently funded by NSERC.
GABA and Object Representations
Inhibitory transmission is essential to normal brain function. We are interested in how various GABAergic inhibitory interneuron subtypes regulate encoding and long-term storage of object and category memory representations.
Septohippocampal pathway influence on executive functions
We are probing the roles of different neurotransmitter constituents of the projection pathway from the medial septum to the hippocampus in working memory and other executive functions. While the hippocampus is strongly implicated in human long-term memory processes, its involvement in other cognitive abilities remains understudied. The septohippocampal pathway is affected by Alzheimer’s disease pathology, but the cognitive contributions of specific neurotransmitters within these projections remain unclear.