Long-lasting memories are stored in a small set of neurons scattered throughout the brain, so-called engram cells. To define a stable engram each region of the brain involved in memory storage recruits between 5 and 20 percent of excitatory neurons. In par ...
In this thesis, timing is everything. In the first part, we mean this literally, as we tackle systems that encode information using timing alone. In the second part, we adopt the standard, metaphoric interpretation of this saying and show the importance of ...
Homeostatic plasticity of intrinsic excitability goes hand in hand with homeostatic plasticity of synaptic transmission. However, the mechanisms linking the two forms of homeostatic regulation have not been identified so far. Using electrophysiological, im ...
Despite recent progresses in robotic rehabilitation technologies, their efficacy for post-stroke motor recovery is still limited. Such limitations might stem from the insufficient enhancement of plasticity mechanisms, crucial for functional recovery. Here, ...
The way our brain learns to disentangle complex signals into unambiguous concepts is fascinating but remains largely unknown. There is evidence, however, that hierarchical neural representations play a key role in the cortex. This thesis investigates biolo ...
Learning in the brain is poorly understood and learning rules that respect biological constraints, yet yield deep hierarchical representations, are still unknown. Here, we propose a learning rule that takes inspiration from neuroscience and recent advances ...
Besides relying heavily on sensory and reinforcement feedback, motor skill learning may also depend on the level of motivation experienced during training. Yet, how motivation by reward modulates motor learning remains unclear. In 90 healthy subjects, we i ...
