Memory circuits | Stork Lab

In order to lastingly store memories, our brain has to translate neuronal activity patterns into lasting structural correlates. It forms connections between specific neurons and thereby generate so called memory circuits. When re-activated, these “engrams” allow us to retrieve the previously stored information.

We investigate not only the natural behaviorally relevant memory circuits in learning and memory but also pathology relevant circuits that underlay certain neuropsychiatric disorders. We are interested in cellular and molecular events of neuronal memory allocation to their genetic manipulation in different brain regions especially hippocampus, amygdala and cortical areas.

Publications

Mikhaylova M, Bär J, van Bommel B, Schätzle P, YuanXiang P, Raman R, Hradsky J, Konietzny A, Loktionov EY, Reddy PP, Lopez-Rojas J, Spilker C, Kobler O, Raza SA, Stork O, Hoogenraad CC, Kreutz MR. Caldendrin Directly Couples Postsynaptic Calcium Signals to Actin Remodeling in Dendritic Spines. Neuron. 2018 Feb 20. pii: S0896-6273(18)30071-0.

Raza SA, Albrecht A, Çalışkan G, Müller B, Demiray YE, Ludewig S, Meis S, Faber N, Hartig R, Schraven B, Lessmann V, Schwegler H, Stork O. HIPP neurons in the dentate gyrus mediate the cholinergic modulation of background context memory salience. Nat Commun. 2017 Aug; 8(1):189.

Çalışkan G, Müller I, Semtner M, Winkelmann A, Raza AS, Hollnagel JO, Rösler A, Heinemann U, Stork O, Meier JC. Identification of Parvalbumin Interneurons as Cellular Substrate of Fear Memory Persistence. Cereb Cortex. 2016 May;26(5):2325-40.

Funding