Research
Area 4
Systems neuroscience
Team leader
Maria Victoria Sánchez Vives
(ICREA-IDIBAPS)
MSANCHE3(ELIMINAR)@clinic.ub.es
Strategic objectives
Recently, the growing knowledge of synaptic physiology and brain circuits, together with the development of new instruments with which to register, analyze and model the activity of a large number of neurons has made it possible to address one of the great pending challenges in neuroscience: to understand the relationship between the activity of the neuron population and behavioral performance. The objective of the systems neuroscience group is to address this challenge combining experimental studies in basal ganglia, hippocampal and cortical networks with a theoretical approach.
Main lines of research
1. Cortical networks and EVENT Lab(Virtual Environments in Neuroscience and Technology). Headed by Dr. Maria Victòria Sánchez (IDIBAPS)
Neuronal connectivity and cellular and synaptic properties determine and give shape to the emergent population activity (spontaneous or invoked) generated by the neuronal networks. At the same time, such activity has effects upon the network, with the regulation of relevant mechanisms such as synaptic plasticity. We are interested in different aspects of the activity generated: the mechanisms that regulate it, the information it encodes, and the consequences of this activity upon the network.
The impact which the different cellular processes (e.g., ion channel activation) have upon the resultant network activity tends to be non-intuitive and unpredictable – thus making it necessary to adopt a theoretical and experimental approach.
As regards the information encoded by the network activity, we have worked with different sensory modalities (visual, tactile, auditory), and are presently especially interested in the spatial processing that occurs in the hippocampal complex.
Lastly, integration of the cortical information giving rise to bodily representation and the combination of brain-computer interfaces and virtual reality for understanding these processes, is another research line of our group, as part of the EVENT Lab (www.event-lab.org).
For further information, visit: www.sanchez-vives.org
2. Theoretical neurobiology of the cortical networks.Headed by Dr. Albert Compte (IDIBAPS)
Our research is aimed at clarifying the mechanisms that operate in the cortical microcircuit, with a view to conducting computations of relevance to behavior. The tools we use are computer-implemented cortical network models seeking biological plausibility at all times, and technically sophisticated data-analyzing tools. We work in parallel at two levels: on one hand, we model the activity of the cortical microcircuit in order to understand and quantify the mechanisms underlying the generation of population activity in the circuit, and on the other we study the physiological bases of cognitive capacities such as working memory and selective attention, and their dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.
For further information:complab.fcrb.es
3. Physiology and basal ganglia networks and regulation with cannabinoids. Headed by Dr. David Robbe (IDIBAPS)
The principal objective of the laboratory is to understand the processing of cognitive and motor-sensory (cortical) information in the basal ganglia - a group of subcortical nuclei that are essential for motor coordination and the formation of habits, and which are implicated in Parkinson's disease and in addictions. Surprisingly, the excellent description of the anatomical characteristics of the basal ganglia (BG) has given rise to two opposed reference models of processing carried out in the BG. In the first model, the BG have been modelled as independent information processing channels, while the other model postulates that the ganglia act as cortical input integrators. In order to address this controversy, we use large-scale electrophysiological recording techniques (silica catheters, tetrodes) in the course of specific motor activities, in combination with advanced analytical tools and pharmacological perturbation (cannabinoids).
neuro.fcrb.es/BasalGangLab/RobbeLab/Welcome.html
4. Neuroepigenetics lab. Headed by Perla Kaliman (IDIBAPS)
It is now accepted that brain networks and genetic information in adults are both sensitive and responsive to experience. An increasing number of studies in animal models are starting to show that behavioral interventions can induce changes in epigenetic codes in the nervous system that may be critical for synaptic plasticity and complex processes such as memory, learning and stress resistance. In this context, our research is aimed at identifying behavioral-induced molecular biomarkers associated with adaptive psychological and physiological changes. Accordingly, we investigate the effect of behavioral interventions (e.g. voluntary exercise and enriched environment in rodents and mindfulness-based stress reduction trainings in humans) on the epigenetic regulation of processes such as oxidative stress and inflammation, which are at the root of most chronic and aging-related diseases.
5. Cortical Circuit Dynamics Group. Headed by Dr. Jaime de la Rocha (IDIBAPS)
The main focus of our research is the study of the circuit mechanisms underlying perception and decision making. In particular we are interested in the neural basis of auditory representation and its dependence on brain state and other contextual variables. We investigate the generation of ongoing cortical activity, its impact on perception and guiding decisions. We are particularly interested in the variability and co-variability observed in the sensory-evoked responses of cortical neurons, the mechanisms which generate them and their role in a neural code. We combine population cortical recordings in rats, quantitative analysis and computational modeling to address these questions.
For further information:neuro.fcrb.es/delaRochaLab
6. Laboratory of Dendritic Computation. Headed by Enrique Perez-Garci (IDIBAPS)
It is becoming clear now that dendrites can be considered as active excitable entities which can be subject to modulation by different neurotransmitters (Dendritic Neuromodulation). With the emergence of imaging and electrophysiological approaches to study dendritic physiology, I believe the field is poised to explore the fundamentals of dendritic computation. With this in mind, I aim to take advantage of these developments and combined them with pharmacological and molecular biological tools, to get a more detailed picture of the impact of interacting sub-cellular dendritic regions and their modulation for determining the firing output of the neuron.
The apical tuft of layer 5 pyramidal neurons is innervated by a large number of inhibitory inputs with unknown functions. Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) evoked by distal GABAergic terminals have little or no direct impact on the somato-axonic compartment of the neuron. A possible role for these inhibitory inputs is to modulate the so called Na+-Ca2+ spikes that occur in the apical tuft. My research work focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which GABA mediates the inhibition of such regenerative processes. In particular, activation of metabotropic GABAb receptors exerts an inhibitory control of dendritic spikes by means of a very refined molecular machinery.
Research Techniques
- Simultaneous whole-cell recordings along the somato-dendritic axis of layer 5 pyramidal neurons using the in vitro slice preparation
- Ca2+ fluorescence recordings
- Pharmacology