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Freeman
Lab Research
Click on
the Publications link above to get our latest papers.
Developmental Neurobiology of Learning
A
major focus of our research is the ontogeny of learning and memory. We have
been examining the ontogeny of motor learning using the eyeblink conditioning
paradigm. Our goal has been to discover the neural mechanisms underlying
developmental changes in motor learning in rats. We have found that
developmental changes in sensory inputs to the cerebellum play a major role in
the ontogeny of delay eyeblink conditioning. One of our most recent projects is
examining the development of hippocampal and prefrontal cortical contributions
to trace eyeblink conditioning. Techniques used in these experiments include
multiple tetrode recording, field EPSP recording, quantitative electron
microscopy, neural tract tracing, electrical stimulation, and localized drug
infusions in the brain.
Neurobiology of Learning in Adult Rats
We
have also been examining the neural mechanisms underlying learning in adult
rats. A primary area of interest in our adult work is identifying the neural
pathways that send sensory inputs to the cerebellum during learning. We have
found that subcortical sensory nuclei for hearing and vision send inputs to the
pontine nuclei that are necessary for eyeblink conditioning. We also have
evidence that thalamic nuclei that send sensory information to the pontine
nuclei undergo learning-related changes in activity. Techniques used in these
experiments include multiple tetrode recording, functional imaging, various
neuroanatomy methods, electrical stimulation, and localized drug infusions in
the brain.
