Advanced electrophysiological techniques to study hippocampal function in health and disease.

• Grant number: 23/14555-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: April 08, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal Investigator: João Pereira Leite
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Medeiros
• Supervisor: Liset Menendez de La Prida
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto Cajal, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/07933-1 - Study of NMDA receptor dysfunction in interneurons that express parvalbumin and its role in cognitive and behavioral changes in an epilepsy model, BP.DR

Abstract

Understanding local brain circuits and how they adapt and maintain their own dynamics in the face of stimuli is essential to unravel basic and pathological mechanisms. Epilepsy is a disability condition associated with severe cognitive deficits, characterized by changes in neural networks, with excessive and hypersynchronous activity. Furthermore, seizures propagate through brain networks and involve microcircuits, a process that can be weakened or even interrupted by suppressing activity in these sets. However, the circuit mechanisms remain unknown. Our objective is to acquire and incorporate advanced neuroscientific techniques within the framework of the project, leveraging the study of hippocampal microcircuits for this purpose. The outcomes of our research will not only deepen our understanding of brain network activity, potentially revealing future pathological mechanisms but also play a pivotal role in paving the way for the implementation of these cutting-edge techniques in Brazil.