Investigations into the neural circuits involved in memory consolidation and cocaine-seeking behavior

On Monday 29th Feb, Ryan LaLumiere, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, will be giving a presentation on the topic "Investigations into the neural circuits involved in memory consolidation and cocaine-seeking behavior".

ABSTRACT

Our laboratory investigates the neural circuits underlying behavior, specifically focusing on those systems involved in memory consolidation and cocaine-seeking behavior, using a variety of techniques. The first part of my talk will focus on how the basolateral amygdala (BLA) influences memory consolidation for different kinds of learning. Using optogenetic approaches to dissecting the circuitry, we have found that specific efferent pathways from the BLA are involved in the consolidation of distinct kinds of learning.

In the second part of my talk, I will discuss how the prefrontal cortex regulates cocaine-seeking behavior. In particular, our findings indicate that the ventral region of the medial prefrontal cortex (infralimbic cortex) is critically involved in inhibiting cocaine seeking. Our results suggest that optical inhibition of infralimbic activity increases cocaine-seeking behavior, both acutely and during later tests of reinstatement.