TAKEHARA ​LAB
 

I am a PhD candidate working on understanding the neural bases of integration of different sensory and mnemonic information in the brain. During my Master’s work, I characterized activity of single neurons in the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) and demonstrated its role in situation coding. In the current project, my aim is to discover the role of the LEC projections to the medial prefrontal cortex, and their role in memory retrieval. Outside of the lab, I am discovering astrophotography and drone piloting.

While working on ischemic stroke and Huntington's disease research during my undergrad years, I was fascinated by brain sciences, from synaptic molecules to neuronal firing and to animal behaviors. I, therefore, ventured into the field of neuroscience, specifically to understand the underlying mechanism of associative memory. Here in Takehara lab, my research is focused on identifying and characterizing the role of basal forebrain cholinergic inputs to the medial prefrontal cortex in the trace eyeblink conditioning. Outside of the laboratory, I like photography and cooking.

Yixiong is a Ph.D. candidate studying the role of hippocampal ripple and neocortical spindle coupling on memory consolidation in Alzheimer's disease. He graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Science - Honours Computer Science and Biology. Throughout his undergraduate study, Yixiong has accumulated extensive experience in the software development industry and hopes to be able to apply his computer science skills in the field of neuroscience. Now as a part of the Takehara lab, Yixiong will learn and use a variety of neuroscience techniques, including electrophysiology with LFP, single neuron recordings, and electrical stimulation, behavioural experimentation, stereotaxic surgery, and time series analysis. In his free time, he tends to go on hikes, read, and play board games with his friends.

As a first-year PhD student, my research interests range from exploring how neural representations enable efficient memory to employing multiple state-of-the-art tools to advance research (computational model, pharmacological and genetic methods). Currently, my project focuses on understanding the roles of different information coded in the lateral entorhinal cortex play in optimizing the network state for memory encoding and retrieval. Prior to UofT, I received my bachelor's degree in psychology from Peking University. In my undergraduate study, I worked on hippocampal decoding from maze learning paradigm. Besides neuroscience, I consume literature and especially enjoy reading sociology and politics. I also have a great passion when cooking and playing video games.

I am a second-year PhD student in the psychology department specializing in a collaborative neuroscience program. My research seeks to uncover which long-range pathways become activated during transitive inference using the c-fos tracing approach in mice and determine whether the activated pathways are necessary for this cognitive process using optogenetic manipulations. Overall, my research will help us better understand the neuronal implementation of transitive inference, a core feature of intelligent behavior.

I am a Masters student in the department of Cells and Systems Biology with a specialization from the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. I am interested in the neural structures that are responsible for memory formation and retrieval, as well as the disruption of these processes, such as in Alzheimer’s Disease. My research project focuses on the anatomic pathways that are responsible for episodic memory. I aim to provide insight on the relationship between the lateral entorhinal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and thalamic region. Before becoming a graduate student I completed a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Western University. Outside of the laboratory, I like to read, spend time outdoors, and be with family and friends.

I am a first-year PhD student in the psychology department. The goal of my project is to understand how the lateral entorhinal cortex optimizes the hippocampal-neocortical network during memory encoding and retrieval. I aim to determine whether LEC inputs to the hippocampus (eg. CA1, DG) and neocortex (eg.mPFC) are crucial for the successful encoding and retrieval of cue and spatial learning memories. Before graduate school, I completed my bachelor’s degree at UofT, with a specialization in Neuroscience. Outside of the lab, I like music and photography.

I am Alina, a third-year undergraduate student studying neuroscience, immunology, and chemistry. I work with Silvia on her project on circuit mechanisms of transitive inference in mice. I am also interested in aspects of sleep in memory. Outside of school, I am a freelance photographer and a mom of two cats.

I am a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Physiology and Human Biology with a minor in Immunology. I will be assisting with research under Silvia, focusing on the circuit mechanisms of transitive inference in mice.

As a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Pharmacology and Cell & Molecular Biology, I am interested in how the brain learns and processes information. I have been working on a project about phasic cholinergic modulation of mPFC during learning for the past year, with a focus on data processing and coding. I will be shifting toward more web lab tasks in the upcoming semester. As my journey at UofT progresses, I have also developed a strong interest in the pathological side of the brain—mainly cancers such as neurofibromas, glioblastoma, etc—as well as cancers of other organs. I wish to develop more effective therapeutics for these diseases. Outside the lab, I love playing badminton, skiing, gaming, and writing codes for simple game apps.

I am Amir, a third-year Psychology Specialist student with primary research interests in the intersection of Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience. I am particularly fascinated by how neurochemical processes influence behaviour and cognition. My work involves hands-on experience with brain slicing, staining, and conducting behavioural tasks, deepening my understanding of neural mechanisms and their implications for Neurodegenerative diseases.

Looking ahead, I am considering furthering my education through medical or graduate school, where I aim to continue exploring the complex interplay between the brain and behaviour.

I am a fourth-year undergraduate in the psychology specialist and immunology minor programs. My research interests primarily consist of the neuropsychological mechanisms behind learning and memory, mainly in the context of neurological disorders. I work with Yangzi to investigate the lateral entorhinal cortex and its role in reinstating memory representations.

I'm a third-year undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience and Cell and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Immunology. Currently, I'm studying with Alessia. Our research focuses mainly on identifying key neural pathways between the hippocampus and mPFC involved in transitive inference and evaluating their importance in deductive reasoning. Outside the lab, I'd like to play the piano, trumpet, and ski.