Systems Neuroscience Laboratory - Honours projects available in 2010
An Honours project undertaken in this lab would be administered by the Discipline of Physiology.
Behaviour is dependent on a properly developed and functioning central nervous system. Assessing the integrity of higher cognitive function and the role cortical and subcortical regions of the brain play in their manifestation are important, but non-trivial problems to tackle. We have taken a multi-pronged approach to addressing these issues of interest: revealing the changes that occur in relevant brain areas that correspond in time to the onset or emergence of behaviors; and determining how environmental, genetic, and pharmacological manipulations can alter performance in behavioral tasks designed to assess the function of these same brain regions.
The following list provides a summary of some of the Honours projects offered for next year. For details, please feel free to discuss topics of interest with me directly. Some of these are offered as collaborative projects with Dr. Catherine Leamey and Dr. Dario Protti:
- The role of enrichment on the development of the hippocampus
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Atomu Sawatari
Previous work has indicated that animals raised in enriched environments acquire tasks dependent on spatial memory faster than mice raised in standard housing conditions. Projects that explore how stimulating environments affect the development of the hippocampus and other structures vital for learning and memory are available.
- The importance of Ten_m3 in the wiring of cortico-striatal circuits
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Atomu Sawatari
- Dr Catherine Leamey
Intact cortico-striatal connectivity is vital for the initiation and selection of appropriate motor programs. The Ten-m3 protein is known to be expressed in the neostriatum (the input nucleus of the basal ganglia), but its role in wiring together this important circuit is unclear. Projects that will examine potential alterations in cortico-striatal circuitry are available.
- The role of enrichment on the development of the retina
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Atomu Sawatari
- Dr Catherine Leamey
- Dr Dario Protti
Previous work has indicated that animals raised in enriched environments can expedite the maturation of the retina. Projects that explore how stimulating environments affect the development of this primary sensory structure are available.
- Reversing the maturation of the hippocampus
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Atomu Sawatari
Previous work has shown that digestion of extracellular matrix proteins can promote cortical plasticity. Projects that explore how similar treatments affect the functioning of the hippocampus and other structures vital for learning and memory are available.
