Ricerc@Sapienza

Incremental learning involves the deployment of learning sequences leading to modifications of behavior and efficient mastery of complex tasks. This is implemented with training through discrete learning phases, each characterized by a specific behavioral profile. How this is influenced by the activity of individual brain systems, is poorly understood. The striatum constitute an attractive system to investigate this notion and sequential involvement of cortico-striatal parallel loops has been demonstrated to be responsible for progressive refinement of the behavioral response in skill learning. This project will ask whether this model, postulating a sequential involvement of striatal subsystems, can also be transferred to spatial navigation.
State of art techniques involving viral injections and optogenetic, will allow tracking of learning-related changes in the striatal activity and determination of pre- and post-synaptic contributions to advance a more anatomically and physiologically constrained view of how cortex communicates with striatum to encode complex associative learning. The findings will drive refinement of theoretical models, and may be insightful for developing new theories on the biological mechanisms underlying learning and memory.