II Semana do Cérebro
Recent publications
NMDA receptor blockade impairs the muscarinic conversion of sub-threshold transient depression into long-lasting LTD in the hippocampus-prefrontal cortex pathway in vivo. 2012-12-18
Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal inputs (CA1) to the prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is thought to play an important role organizing cognitive, emotional and executive behaviors. In particular, cholinergic fibers from the brainstem and basal forebrain innervate the mPFC and exert a modulatory drive on synaptic responses and neuronal activity during different behavioral states, which can be affected in some pathological conditions. Here, we investigated how the muscarinic and glutamatergic (NMDA) neurotransmission affected synaptic plasticity in the mPFC and the communication between the hippocampus and the mPFC in vivo.
OLM interneurons differentially modulate CA3 and entorhinal inputs to hippocampal CA1 neurons 2012-10-09
The vast diversity of GABAergic interneurons is believed to endow hippocampal microcircuits with the required flexibility for memory encoding and retrieval. However, dissection of the functional roles of defined interneuron types has been hampered by the lack of cell-specific tools. We identified a precise molecular marker for a population of hippocampal GABAergic interneurons known as oriens lacunosum-moleculare (OLM) cells. By combining transgenic mice and optogenetic tools, we found that OLM cells are important for gating the information flow in CA1, facilitating the transmission of intrahippocampal information (from CA3) while reducing the influence of extrahippocampal inputs (from the entorhinal cortex). Furthermore, we found that OLM cells were interconnected by gap junctions, received direct cholinergic inputs from subcortical afferents and accounted for the effect of nicotine on synaptic plasticity of the Schaffer collateral pathway. Our results suggest that acetylcholine acting through OLM cells can control the mnemonic processes executed by the hippocampus.
Speech Graphs Provide a Quantitative Measure of Thought Disorder in Psychosis 2012-04-12
Psychosis has various causes, including mania and schizophrenia. Since the differential diagnosis of psychosis is exclusively based on subjective assessments of oral interviews with patients, an objective quantification of the speech disturbances that characterize mania and schizophrenia is in order. In principle, such quantification could be achieved by the analysis of speech graphs. A graph represents a network with nodes connected by edges; in speech graphs, nodes correspond to words and edges correspond to semantic and grammatical relationships.
Forming what-where associations 2011-11-28
Tort and colleagues describe a mechanism underlying the emergence of hippocampal firing patterns that represent the conjunction of an item (what) and its location (where).
Cross-modal responses in the primary visual cortex encode complex objects and correlate with tactile discrimination 2011-09-01
The primary visual cortex can engage in meaningful tactile processing depending on task demand.
Attractor networks and memory formation and erasure 2011-08-05
A unified computational model based on attractor dynamics that accounts for the processes of memory reconsolidation and extinction
Revisiting Hebb's postulates 2011-06-20
A new analysis framework to address the cell assembly hypothesis at the systems level.
Motion representation in V1 is mediated by transcortical feedback 2011-04-19
Global features of the visual scenery are fed back to lower visual processing units to facilitate the integration of local cues into a global construct.
Stem cells to neurons: Independent of local niche 2011-03-22
Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) could be used to treat nervous system disorders, but does their specification require a local niche? Using adult mouse NSCs, Costa and colleagues show that progression from stem cell to neuron is cell-intrinsic and independent of the local niche.
Universal dynamics of spike avalanches across sleep-wake cycle 2010-11-30
A unique scale-invariant regime of spike avalanches across all major behaviors.
Events
ABERTAS AS INSCRIÇÕES PARA A II SEMANA DO CÉREBRO - SEMEANDO CONHECIMENTO EM NATAL
O Instituto do Cérebro (ICe) da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) realiza no período de 13 a 16 de março a II Semana do Cérebro - Semeando Conhecimento em Natal - uma iniciativa dos seus alunos e professores em parceria com a Universidade Potiguar (UNP) e a Faculdade Maurício de Nassau. Saiba mais
Instituto do Cérebro promove I Colóquio Internacional de Neurociência Cognitiva
Dia 22 de fevereiro,sexta-feira, das 14h às 18h30h, no auditório da Reitoria Otto de Brito Guerra, campus central Saiba mais
Mini-curso Linfócitos, Neurônios e Cognição
13 - 15 dezembro - Auditórios D & B - CCHLA - Campus UFRN Saiba mais
1º Workshop de Neurociência Computacional
A Semana de Ciência, Tecnologia e Cultura - CIENTEC acontecerá no período de 23 a 27 de outubro de 2012, no campus universitário, em Natal/RN Saiba mais
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO NORTE (UFRN)
Somos uma instituição de pesquisadores com sólida formação internacional, focados na excelência em pesquisa neural (www.neuro.ufrn.br). Se você é biomédico, engenheiro biomédico ou engenheiro mecatrônico e quer dedicar-se integralmente à pesquisa de ponta em neurociências como técnico de alta especialização, inscreva-se pela internet em nossos concursos públicos, entre 09 de abril a 14 de maio de 2012. Provas teórica e prática em Natal no dia 17 de junho. Salário inicial R$ 2.989,33, com 50% adicional se possuir mestrado, 75% adicional se possuir doutorado, além de diversos benefícios trabalhistas. Procuramos candidatos de alta competência, autonomia e capacidade de trabalho em equipe. Os técnicos selecionados serão encorajados a realizar formação e pesquisa de mestrado e doutorado no âmbito de suas atuações profissionais. Edital e descrição de atividades específicas no sitio www.comperve.ufrn.br. Para maiores informações, escrever para concurso_técnicos2012@neuro.ufrn.br.
