Research Unit 5159
Our environment is constantly changing. Successful survival under these conditions implies that our behavior has to be flexible as well. We experience different places and contexts, have to conduct different tasks in a rapid sequence and need to constantly develop and re-arrange acting strategies. These abilities are not inherited, but develop with age and their regression forms the core of several pathologies. It is commonly held that in mammalian species the prefrontal cortex is the hub brain area accounting for the flexibility of minds (i.e. cognitive flexibility).
The Research Unit 5159 has been launched in January 2022. Our mission is to decipher the dynamic principles of prefrontal processing underlying cognitive flexibility.
Upcoming Events
Title: Prefrontal Cortex Subregions Provide Distinct Visual and Behavioral Feedback Modulation to the Primary Visual Cortex
Short Summary: In this talk Sofie Ährlund-Richter will focus on her latest research project investigating how two subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACA) and the ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex (ORB), modulate sensory processing in the primary visual cortex (VISp) across different behavioral states. Using advanced techniques such as axonal tracing, calcium imaging, and chemogenetic manipulations in mice, the study reveals that ACA and ORB projections to VISp have distinct patterns of modulation, each impacting visual stimulus encoding in different ways. The ACA enhances the representation of visual stimuli, especially at low contrasts, and modulates visual responses in relation to arousal levels. In contrast, ORB input reduces the encoding of high-contrast stimuli and primarily influences VISp responses during high-arousal states. This differential modulation of sensory processing provides insight into the role of PFC feedback in visual attention and sensory integration across behavioral contexts, highlighting the complexity of cortical hierarchies and their influence on behavior.
Awards and Achievements
Burkhart Bromm-Promotionspreis 2022 awarded to Dr. Jastyn A. Pöpplau
Thomas Bayes-Nachwuchsförderpreis 2022 awarded to Dr. Artur Schneider
Thomas Bayes-Nachwuchsförderpreis: Herausragende Abschlussarbeiten (Masterarbeiten, Promotionen) auf dem Gebiet der Datenanalyse und Modellbildung in den Lebenswissenschaften. Preisgeld 5.000 Euro.
Bernstein-CorTec-Award 2022 awarded to Dr. Artur Schneider
Bernstein-CorTec-Award: Hervorragende wissenschaftliche Leistungen in Promotionen oder Masterarbeiten von Promovierenden oder Studierenden der Universität Freiburg in einem für Computational Neuroscience und Neurotechnologie relevanten Thema. Preisgeld 1.000 Euro.
