Christina Bocklisch, Ph.D.
Project description:
The mechanism of persistent memory formation has been the subject of extensive research over the past years. It has turned out that the hippocampus and its surrounding structures play a vital role in gating memory in the cortex, however the underlying cellular mechanisms remain largely unknown. One of the main underlying physiological foundations is the ability of neuronal connections to change their strength in response to increased or decreased neuronal activity. Thus called synaptic plasticity in the cortex, gated by the hippocampal and parahippocampal areas is, what we believe, an important building block in the formation of long-term memories.
To investigate this hypothesis we employ in vitro parch clamp recordings in neocortical slices while controlling network activity with optogenetic tools. We are specifically interested in the incoming synaptic signals of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, as they collect a vast amount of synaptic input from the entire brain and comprise the major output unit of the neocortex.
Publications:
von Engelhardt J*, Bocklisch C*, Tönges L, Herb A, Mishina M, Monyer H. (2015)
"GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors mediate synaptic currents in hippocampal interneurons and pyramidal cells in juvenile mice." Front Cell Neurosci. 2015 Mar 25;9:95.
*equal contribution
Bocklisch C, Pascoli V, Wong JC, House DR, Yvon C, de Roo M, Tan KR, Lüscher C. (2013) "Cocaine disinhibits dopamine neurons by potentiation of GABA transmission in the ventral tegmental area." Science. 2013 Sep 27;341(6153):1521-5.
Power JM, Bocklisch C, Curby P, Sah P. (2011) "Location and function of the slow afterhyperpolarization channels in the basolateral amygdala." J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 12;31(2):526-37.
Brown MT, Bellone C, Mameli M, Labouèbe G, Bocklisch C, Balland B, Dahan L, Luján R, Deisseroth K, Lüscher C. "Drug-driven AMPA receptor redistribution mimicked by selective dopamine neuron stimulation." PLoS One. 2010 Dec 31;5(12):e15870.
C. Bocklisch, K.R. Tan, C. Lüscher. "Warum Schlafmittel wie Valium süchtig
machen." Neurophysiologie. Spektrum der Wissenschaft. Juni 2010
Christina Bocklisch is the recipient of a post-doctoral fellowship awarded by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).