Eletrofisiologic registers and manipulation on the neural activity in the prefrontal cortex of rats during the temporal learning

• Grant number: 16/18914-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 01, 2017
• End date: November 17, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Bussotti Reyes
• Grantee: Gabriela Chiuffa Tunes
• Host Institution: Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Time perception is a fundamental cognitive function to survive and adapt. Recently, several investigations have been suggesting the involvement of several regions and some types of neurons in tasks that require some temporal organization learning. Neurons that seem to encode a time interval were described on the hippocampus, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, some investigations reported that manipulations on dopaminergic pathways cause impairment in temporal estimation tasks. However, how these neurons and pathways behave along the learning has not been studied yet. The low number of results in this field of research may be explained because of the long time that learning timing procedures take. Nevertheless, in recent works, we showed that in timing tasks as fixed-interval and DRRD procedures, it is possible to observe abrupt changes in the behavior of animals associated with learning, occurring from the very first session. Moreover, on studies developed in our lab, we have observed modulation on firing rate of some neurons along the learning process. Therefore, we intend to associate this behavioral expertise with electrophysiologic recording to study neuron activity pattern in the prefrontal cortex during the learning phase of the DRRD procedure. In addition, we will verify the effects of the manipulation of dopaminergic drugs on the neural signal during the learning. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

REYES, MARCELO BUSSOTTI; DE MIRANDA, DIEGO HENRIQUE; TUNES, GABRIELA CHIUFFA; CRAVO, ANDRE MASCIOLI; CAETANO, MARCELO SALVADOR. Rats can learn a temporal task in a single session. Behavioural Processes, v. 170, JAN 2020. (17/25161-8, 16/18914-7, 14/50909-8)

AGUIAR, LEANDRO A. A.; DE VASCONCELOS, NIVALDO A. P.; TUNES, GABRIELA CHIUFFA; FONTENELE, ANTONIO J.; NOGUEIRA, ROMILDO DE ALBUQUERQUE; REYES, MARCELO BUSSOTTI; CARELLI, PEDRO, V. Low-cost open hardware system for behavioural experiments simultaneously with electrophysiological recordings. HARDWAREX, v. 8, p. 11-pg., 2020-10-01. (18/20277-0, 16/18914-7)