Colloquium Series 2013-2014

Kaori Nishiuchi-Takehara
Department of Psychology
University of Toronto

Physiology of Frontal-temporal Lobe Memory Network and Its Dysfunction in Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

Memories of daily experiences consist of complex associations of sensory, action, and emotional variables. Accumulating evidence suggests that this type of memory is supported by a broad network that includes the hippocampus as well as rhinal and medial prefrontal cortices. Yet, network mechanisms of these memories remain largely unknown. My talk will first highlight our latest research on the representation of associative memory in rat medial prefrontal cortex. Second, I will present physiological activity patterns that suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex interacts with the rhinal cortex during memory formation and expression. Finally, I will also present observations of abnormal memory-related neurophysiological processes in a rat model for early stage Alzheimer’s disease. Together, these results provide new insight into how cortical neurons mediate associative memory and how they are disrupted with pathologies in early stage Alzheimer’s disease.