Vincent Robert Understanding memory by elucidating neuronal communication

In search of lost memory

“My goal is to help correct memory defects associated with post-traumatic stress. I work on the interactions between the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex, which performs some of the brain’s most complex functions. Using imaging, I try to shed light on the neural circuits that transmit an event’s contextual information, leading to the formation of memory.”

After graduating from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan with a degree in biology, Dr. Robert studied the link between the hypothalamus and the hippocampus, two structures in the brain that regulate major brain functions such as memory and emotions. He examined the synaptic connections between the two structures and analyzed the transmission of neural information from the hypothalamus to the hippocampus. Using optogenetic techniques, he discovered that some inhibitory neurons in the hippocampus receive stimulating information from the hypothalamus. This results in an overall inhibition of hippocampal activity that could regulate the learning process. This discovery is the opposite of established dogma in the field.

As a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Robert seeks to elucidate the neural communication between the brain structures responsible for the contextual anchoring of memory. Information stored in memory is constantly refined to accommodate environmental changes. To decode the underlying mechanisms, he studies how contextual signals from a part of the cerebral cortex govern the integration of sensory information in the hippocampus to shape a specific memory trace.