Understanding how the brain connects tastes and places to form memories
Hippocampal - gustatory cortical interactions underlying formation of taste-space cognitive maps
['FUNDING_R01'] · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · NIH-11144987
This project explores how different parts of the brain work together in animals to create memories that link tastes with specific locations.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (WALTHAM, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11144987 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Our brains help us remember where we found good food or bad food, which is important for survival and adapting to new environments. This project looks at how two brain areas, the hippocampus and the gustatory cortex, communicate to form these memories. We want to understand how these brain regions associate taste experiences with the places they happen, and how this drives behavior. By studying how brain cells in rats respond to tastes and locations, we hope to learn more about how these memories are made and stored.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational research is not directly recruiting patients, but it is relevant for individuals interested in the basic brain mechanisms behind memory and cognitive retention disorders.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatments or direct participation in human trials would not find direct benefit from this basic animal research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help us better understand how memories are formed and lost, potentially leading to new ways to help people with memory problems or cognitive retention disorders.
How similar studies have performed: This project builds on recent discoveries about how taste and spatial information are encoded in the brain, extending previous findings into how these regions interact.
Where this research is happening
WALTHAM, UNITED STATES
- BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY — WALTHAM, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: JADHAV, SHANTANU P — BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: JADHAV, SHANTANU P
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.
Conditions: Cognitive Retention Disorders