How a brain area (ventral hippocampus) learns and updates signals tied to feelings and events
Dissecting the circuits and population dynamics that represent unconditioned and conditioned stimuli in the ventral hippocampus
This project looks at how specific nerve cells in a brain region called the ventral hippocampus learn and keep links between everyday signals and emotional outcomes, which is relevant to people with mood and anxiety problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11291829 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my point of view, the researchers will watch large groups of neurons in the ventral hippocampus as animals learn which cues predict good or bad outcomes, using high-resolution imaging and targeted tools to mark and control specific cell types. They will trace which vCA1 cells send signals to places like the amygdala, nucleus accumbens, or prefrontal cortex and record how those cells change during learning and when outcomes change. Computational analyses will look for patterns across the neural population and experiments will selectively turn certain cell classes on or off to see how that affects memory formation. The goal is to see how information about unconditioned (natural) and conditioned (learned) cues is represented and stored in these circuits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with affective disorders such as depression or anxiety who are interested in brain-based research or potential future trials targeting emotional memory circuits would be most relevant.
Not a fit: Individuals without mood or anxiety symptoms or those seeking immediate changes to clinical care are unlikely to directly benefit from this basic neuroscience research in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify specific brain-cell types and circuits that underlie emotional memory, pointing to new targets for treatments for anxiety and mood disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Related laboratory studies using imaging and cell-type targeting in animals have successfully mapped how neural populations change with learning, but translating those findings into human treatments is still early.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kheirbek, Mazen a — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Kheirbek, Mazen a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.