Projects

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=175 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="12b400af0dkcfsz.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Silvalab"><U><B>Silvalab</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>    </div> <div> <B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Silvalab"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A><B>          </B><B>Projects</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="approaches.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Approaches"><U><B>Approaches</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="personnel.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lab Members"><U><B>Lab Members</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="alcino.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alcino J. Silva"><U><B>Alcino J. Silva</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="publications.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Publications"><U><B>Publications</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="funding.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Acknowledgments"><U><B>Acknowledgments</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="pictures.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lab Pictures"><U><B>Lab Pictures</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="info.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Information"><U><B>Information</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="positions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Open Positions"><U><B>Open Positions</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact us"><U><B>Contact us</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>       </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Gill Sans MT" >                 </FONT>       </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=150 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="aging.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aging and Cognition"><U><B>Aging and Cognition</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="camkii.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CaMKII and Learning"><U><B>CaMKII and Learning</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="enhancements.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cognitive enhancements"><U><B>Cognitive enhancements</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cortical.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cortical memories"><U><B>Cortical memories</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="recovery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Enhancing plasticity and recovery"><U><B>Enhancing plasticity and recovery</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ld.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Learning disabilities"><U><B>Learning disabilities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="allocation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memory Allocation"><U><B>Memory Allocation</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="genes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Novel memory genes"><U><B>Novel memory genes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="schizophrenia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Schizophrenia"><U><B>Schizophrenia</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="s2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Science of Science"><U><B>Science of Science</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=305 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <IMG SRC="1211bc330.png" border=0 width="188" height="51" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>To investigate the molecular, cellular and circuit processes that underlie learning and memory, our laboratory uses a variety of techniques including biochemistry, transgenic manipulations, pharmacology,  electrophysiology, </B><A HREF="approaches339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="in vivo Imaging"><U><B>confocal in vivo imaging</B></U></A><B>, neuroanatomical lesions and behavioral analysis. Our results implicate a variety of hippocampal and cortical mechanisms in learning and memory, including long-term potentiation, short-term plasticity, GABA inhibition and the slow afterhyperpolarization.  Although most of our studies have been focused on hippocampus and amygdala memory, we have also studied the mechanisms responsible for </B><B>remote memory storage in the cortex</B><B>.  Recently, we have also studied how memories are </B><B>allocated in neuronetworks</B><B>. There is very little known about the rules that determine why one cell becomes engaged in storing a given memory while others in the same network do not. We found that CREB levels are one of determinants of this process. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Our laboratory is also interested in applying these findings to the development of treatments for learning and memory disorders, such as those associated with </B><B>learning disabilities</B><B>. For example, recently we have uncovered the mechanisms responsible for the learning deficits in Neurofibromatosis type I and used these findings to develop a possible treatment that we are now testing in clinical trials.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>For a more detailed description of the main projects in our laboratory, please click on one of the topics below</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="aging.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aging and Cognition"><U><B>Aging and Cognition</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="camkii.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CaMKII and Learning"><U><B>CaMKII and Learning</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="enhancements.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cognitive enhancements"><U><B>Cognitive enhancements</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cortical.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cortical memories"><U><B>Cortical memories</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="recovery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Enhancing plasticity and recovery"><U><B>Enhancing plasticity and recovery</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ld.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Learning disabilities"><U><B>Learning disabilities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="allocation.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memory Allocation"><U><B>Memory Allocation</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="genes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Novel memory genes"><U><B>Novel memory genes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="schizophrenia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Schizophrenia"><U><B>Schizophrenia</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="s2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Science of Science"><U><B>Science of Science</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>