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Introduction

In 2018 I received an M.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware. Currently, I am working as a laboratory technician collecting neuronal data from rats as they perform a spatial working memory task. My research interests are centered around how neural representations support spatial working memory and decision-making.

Project Description

Spatial working memory (SWM), or the ability to hold spatial information 'in mind' for an epoch depends on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus (HPC), nucleus reuniens (Re), and mPFC-HPC interactions via the Re. Numerous studies have investigated the neural mechanisms that support SWM using spatial alternation tasks in a T-maze, such as the delayed alternation (DA) and delayed non-match to position (DNMP) tasks. The fundamental difference between DA and DNMP is that the DNMP task can be separated into distinct task phases (cue-based encoding during the sample phase, memory maintenance during the delay phase, and memory-guided decision making during the choice phase) providing the means to investigate how neural representations, and inter-regional interactions are related to SWM. My project aims to examine the contributions of prefrontal sub-regions and their interactions with the HPC and Re to gain a better understanding of the processes that support memory.

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