[CTN] CTN seminar: Dr. Veronique Bohbot, McGill University, Feb 26, 3.30pm in PAS 2464

[Matthijs van der Meer]

Dear all,

Please join us for next Tuesday's CTN seminar (Feb 26) by Dr. Veronique
Bohbot, from McGill University. Title and abstract follow below.

Time and place are the usual, 3.30pm on Tuesday in PAS 2464.

If you would like to meet with Dr. Bohbot, and/or come to dinner
(on Monday evening), please let me know.

Hope to see you there,

- Matt



Veronique Bohbot, Ph.D.
John R. & Clara M. Fraser Memorial Award Recipient
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Associate Member, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

http://www.bic.mni.mcgill.ca/~vero/

Title:Nature versus Nurture: Contributions towards Healthy Cognition
from childhood to senescence in Mice and Humans

Abstract: A larger hippocampus has been associated with healthy
cognition in normal aging and with a reduced risk of numerous
neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease,
Schizophrenia, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder and Depression.

The hippocampus is implicated in only one of two navigation strategies
utilized when finding one’s way in the environment. The spatial
strategy, which is allocentric, involves remembering the locations of
objects in relation to landmarks in the environment placed in a virtual
radial maze. The other, the response strategy, relies on making a series
of stimulus-response associations (e.g. right and left turns) until all
objects are retrieved. Participants who spontaneously use the spatial
strategy (spatial learners) show increased fMRI activity and increased
grey matter in the hippocampus relative to those spontaneously using the
response strategy (response learners) who show corresponding increases
in function and grey matter in the caudate nucleus. Furthermore, spatial
and response learners differ in terms of cortisol levels and BDNF
genotype. Recent results from our laboratory show a decrease in spatial
strategies across the life span, along with a reduction in activity and
grey matter in the hippocampus.

In order to reverse this process and stimulate the HPC, we spent 5 years
to develop a 16-h spatial memory improvement program (SMIP) that
promotes the use of spatial strategies in 46 different virtual
environments, varying in size and complexity. Results indicate that
completion of SMIP was associated with spatial memory improvements,
increases in activity and grey matter of the hippocampus. Our findings
suggest that spatial memory, which involves learning the relationship
between environmental landmarks, is critical to hippocampal function.
Furthermore, the SMIP may have a significant effect in reversing
hippocampal atrophy associated with normal aging and reducing risks of
neurological and psychiatric disorders.