Network activity during memory consolidation and sleep in Drosophila (A07)

• Subject Area: Experimental and Theoretical Network Neuroscience
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 327654276

Across phyla, memory consolidation and sleep are closely interlinked. In the central nervous system of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, memories are stored and consolidated at the level of a higher order neuropil called the mushroom bodies (MBs). During the first funding period, we have identified that synaptic output during the initial consolidation phase of a certain set of so-called MB output neurons is instrumental for successful memory consolidation. We also discovered physiological correlates of slow wave sleep in a separate brain region. We now aim at understanding the interplay of rhythmic oscillations in different neuropils during sleep and memory consolidation.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1315: Mechanisms and disturbances in memory consolidation: From synapses to systems
• Applicant Institution: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• Project Head: Professor Dr. David Owald