large scale model of deep predictive learning

Learning, Memory and Plasticity

Learning, Memory and Plasticity

Neuroscientists in our Consortium are making rapid progress in understanding the mechanisms by which people learn and remember, by studying how experience modifies brain circuits and by understanding the organization of large-scale brain networks that support the ability to recollect past events. Our research is focused on developing new approaches to improve cognition in health and disease through ongoing efforts to develop wearable devices, noninvasive brain stimulation approaches, closed-loop systems and new therapeutics to treat devastating diseases, including dementias and psychiatric disorders. Increasing our understanding of learning and memory is also fueling a revolution in machine learning algorithms that are based on our growing knowledge of how learning arises from the interaction of every major region of the brain.

This topic is a major strength at UC Davis, highlighted by the Center for Neuroscience-sponsored, cross-campus Memory and Plasticity Program (MAP), the Alzheimer’s Disease Center, the UC Davis Conte Center, and several targeted graduate and postdoctoral T32 training programs. The UC Davis Neuroscience Consortium has a large number of faculty working at this level: 66 faculty members from 22 departments and 11 centers. These faculty utilize a wide range of approaches, across all of the levels of analysis and have an impressive number of interdisciplinary collaborations to further their research in this area.

Faculty studying learning, memory and plasticity

Karen L. Bales, Ph.D. Behavioral neuroscience of social bonds
Melissa D. Bauman, Ph.D. Behavioral neuroscience, prenatal risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders
Robert F. Berman, Ph.D. Neurodevelopmental disorderd; TBI; neurotoxicology
Erie D. Boorman, Ph.D. Learning and decision-making
Laura Borodinsky, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of extrinsic and intrinsic cues on development and regeneration
Lindsay C. Bowman, Ph.D. Cognitive and environmental factors that influence development of the social brain
Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez Animal behavior, reproductive and behavioral endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, neurogenomics, ecophysiology, urban ecology
Rishidev Chaudhuri, Ph.D. Computational neuroscience and neural data analysis
Shizhe Chen, Ph.D. Statistical analysis of neural circuits
David P. Corina, Ph.D. Cognitive neuroscience of language and cognition 
Daniel L. Cox, Ph.D. Modeling neuronal sensing/navigation circuits and impacts from neurodegenerative damage.
Robert Cudmore, Ph.D. Effects of experience, disease and aging on the structure and function of the brain
William DeBello, Ph.D. Adaptive plasticity and brain wiring
Elva Diaz, Ph.D. Functional genomics of nervous system development, function and disease
Sarah Tomaszewski Farias, Ph.D. Cognitive aging and dementia; early disease detection; life-course risk and protective factors; and behavioral interventions to delay cognitive and functional loss
Mike Ferns, Ph.D.  Cellular and molecular basis of synapse formation in the mammalian nervous system
Diasynou Fioravante, Ph.D. Neural circuits for prediction, learning and memory
Andrew S. Fox, Ph.D. Neurobiology of emotion, “affective style” and the development of mental illness
Simona Ghetti, Ph.D. Development of memory and metamemory
Mark Goldman, Ph.D. Computational neuroscience
John A. Gray, M.D., Ph.D. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of synapse development and plasticity 
Fuzheng Guo, Ph.D. Neural development; glial differentiation, myelination and remyelination in neurological disorders and animal models
Gene Gurkoff, Ph.D. Developing therapies to improve neural connectivity for patients with neurological disease
Amanda E. Guyer, Ph.D. Adolescent neurodevelopment in health and depression, anxiety, and substance use
Tim Hanks, Ph.D. Neural mechanisms of decision making and related disorders of brain function
Johannes Hell, Ph.D. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurotransmission at synapses in the brain
Petr Janata, Ph.D. Cognitive neuroscience of music
Wilsaan M. Joiner, Ph.D. Sensorimotor integration, motor learning/control, and clinical applications.
Neal Kroll, Ph.D. Human memory
Pamela J. Lein, Ph.D. Impacts of environmental stressors on the developing and aging brain
Steven J. Luck, Ph.D. Basic and translational cognitive neuroscience
A. Kimberley McAllister, Ph.D. Synapse formation and plasticity; neuroimmune contributions to development and disease
John H. Morrison, Ph.D. Neurobiology of aging and neurodegenerative disorders; Cortical structure and function
Karen Moxon, Ph.D.  Neural encoding and plasticity; neuroprosthetics; neuroengineering; brain-machine interfaces
Yuko Munakata, Ph.D. Cognitive control over thoughts and actions, influences, consequences and mechanisms
Karl D. Murray, Ph.D. Brain development
Manuel F. Navedo, Ph.D. Mechanisms controlling vascular function in health and disease
Stephen C. Noctor, Ph.D. Development of cortical structures in the central nervous system
Alex Nord, Ph.D. Genomics in the brain development, function and disorders 
Christine Wu Nordahl, Ph.D. Neuroimaging to study brain development in autism across the life span.
Lisa Oakes, Ph.D. Origins and early development of mental abilities in infancy
Beth Ober, Ph.D. Biological, cognitive, health and mental health life phases: Adulthood, aging
David E. Olson, Ph.D. Compound-induced neural plasticity and the development of neurotherapeutics
Carolynn Patten, Ph.D., P.T., F.A.P.T.A. Neural basis of human movement; investigating human motor control and learning from a perspective of neuromechanics
Dan Ragland, Ph.D. Behavioral, functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology methods; brain networks in learning and memory; effects of schizophrenia on learning and memory
Charan Ranganath, Ph.D. Neural basis and functional organization of human learning and memory
Gregg Recanzone, Ph.D. Role of the cerebral cortex in the perception of auditory signals and age-related hearing loss
Stephen K. Robinson, Ph.D. Augmentation and extension of human capabilities and performance in safety-critical environments.
Michael A. Rogawski, M.D., Ph.D. Cellular and synaptic neurophysiology; neurosteroids; epilepsy and migraine; drug development.
Cynthia M.Schumann, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular developmental trajectory of brain regions related to anxiety and autism
Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D. Attention and impulsivity in children and adults in typical development and in ADHD
David J. Segal, Ph.D. Genome and epigenomic editing for the study and treatment of neurologic disorders
Kia Shahlaie, M.D., Ph.D. Deep brain stimulation techniques to improve learning and memory function; traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease
Jeffrey Sherman, Ph.D. Cognitive processes underlying social psychology and behavior; stereotyping and prejudice
Sergi Simo, Ph.D. Neuronal migration and related disorders
Tony Simon, Ph.D. Attention, and spatial and temporal processing in development and neurodevelopmental disorders
Marjorie Solomon, Ph.D., M.B.A. Cognitive neuroscience and autism specturm disorders
Johnna Swartz, Ph.D. Brain development and the development of mood and anxiety disorders
Lin Tian, Ph.D. Tool development for analyzing and engineering functional neural circuits; Molecular mechanisms of neurological disorders
Brian Trainor, Ph.D. Effects of stress on the brain and behavior; mood and anxiety disorders
James Trimmer, Ph.D. Cell signaling in mammalian neurons, neuronal cell biology, membrane protein trafficking and function, affinity reagent development and validation
Jennifer L. Whistler, Ph.D. Effects of clinically important drugs and drugs of abuse on the brain
Brian Wiltgen, Ph.D. Neurobiology of learning and memory 
Weijian Yang, Ph.D. Optical methods in brain research; functional organization and plasticity of neural circuits
Andrew Yonelinas, Ph.D.  Memory, perception and amnesia
Jie (JZ) Zheng, Ph.D. Human memory and emotion, human intracranial electrophysiology and neuromodulation
Karen Zito, Ph.D. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in learning and disease