The search for the physical substrate of memory has long been one of the main goals of neuroscience. Learned associations are thought to be stored within specific patterns of sparsely distributed neurons called neuronal ensembles (also called cellular engram). In vivo electrophysiology studies have long provided correlative evidence supporting a role for ensemble activity in mediating specific information, but these studies did not provide causal role evidence for ensembles in behavior or identify physical mechanisms for how they perform this role. Since 2009, new transgenic and viral technologies have allowed us to manipulate and confirm causal roles for ensembles in mediating many learned behaviors, particularly in the fear conditioning and drug addiction fields. Most importantly, this created the possibility of finding long-lasting molecular and cellular alterations that form the long sought-after memory traces (called engrams) that physically learned associations within these ensembles or cellular engrams.
The international workshop on Engrams and ensembles in learning and memory: from molecules to behavior, held in Dublin, on September 12-13, 2022, and sponsored by Trinity College and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, aims to bring together the latest advances in the study of engrams and neuronal ensembles.
This Research Topic focuses on the novel strategies and discovery of ensembles and engrams in memories capable of lasting a lifetime, it will promote discussion around the themes presented at the Workshop and encourages article submissions covering the latest research findings and technical/methodological advances in engrams research, including, but not limited to the following:
· ensemble selection and allocation,
· molecular and cellular engrams
· ensembles in memory extinction and reconsolidation,
· learning-dependent neuronal plasticity,
· relationship of ensembles to place, grid, head direction cells,
· ensembles and engrams in fear conditioning
· ensembles and engrams in reward learning
· engram-related epigenetics,
· motor ensemble manipulation,
· cross-species ensemble imaging approaches,
· inhibitory ensembles,
· methodologies for ensemble tagging and manipulation,
· ensemble manipulation in normal or pathological conditions,
· ensemble competition.
The search for the physical substrate of memory has long been one of the main goals of neuroscience. Learned associations are thought to be stored within specific patterns of sparsely distributed neurons called neuronal ensembles (also called cellular engram). In vivo electrophysiology studies have long provided correlative evidence supporting a role for ensemble activity in mediating specific information, but these studies did not provide causal role evidence for ensembles in behavior or identify physical mechanisms for how they perform this role. Since 2009, new transgenic and viral technologies have allowed us to manipulate and confirm causal roles for ensembles in mediating many learned behaviors, particularly in the fear conditioning and drug addiction fields. Most importantly, this created the possibility of finding long-lasting molecular and cellular alterations that form the long sought-after memory traces (called engrams) that physically learned associations within these ensembles or cellular engrams.
The international workshop on Engrams and ensembles in learning and memory: from molecules to behavior, held in Dublin, on September 12-13, 2022, and sponsored by Trinity College and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, aims to bring together the latest advances in the study of engrams and neuronal ensembles.
This Research Topic focuses on the novel strategies and discovery of ensembles and engrams in memories capable of lasting a lifetime, it will promote discussion around the themes presented at the Workshop and encourages article submissions covering the latest research findings and technical/methodological advances in engrams research, including, but not limited to the following:
· ensemble selection and allocation,
· molecular and cellular engrams
· ensembles in memory extinction and reconsolidation,
· learning-dependent neuronal plasticity,
· relationship of ensembles to place, grid, head direction cells,
· ensembles and engrams in fear conditioning
· ensembles and engrams in reward learning
· engram-related epigenetics,
· motor ensemble manipulation,
· cross-species ensemble imaging approaches,
· inhibitory ensembles,
· methodologies for ensemble tagging and manipulation,
· ensemble manipulation in normal or pathological conditions,
· ensemble competition.
