Join us for the second event in our Institute's spring 2024 Speaker Series featuring Dr. John A. White, Chair of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology, Experimental Therapeutics, and Neuroscience.

This event is sponsored by the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research.

To join via zoom remotely:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://uark.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lqqpY0-HTzKCdhHy_THqJg

Summary:

Memory processing in the mammalian brain is a dynamic cognitive task requiring coordination between various brain regions. Dr. White’s research team is exploring the feasibility of reactivating memories using optogenetic methods. In his talk, Dr. White will share findings from testing the hypothesis that the phase of memory reactivation, relative to ongoing rhythmic activity in the brain, affects the efficacy of recall. Dr. White will walk through his work recording population activity in downstream brain regions and his findings that cells that were active during the original learning experience, and thus are believed to encode the memory, demonstrate reactivated activity that stands out against a fairly silent background. The findings have promising implications for on-going work in the development memory prosthetics that could potentially benefit individuals with conditions that affect memory.