Admission to this internship program is by application only and is at the discretion of the individual research scientists - space is limited. The program is open to all undergraduates at Rutgers and NJIT. Specific course of skill prerequisites will vary by instructor.

For more information, contact Connie Sadaka at 973-353-1080 x 3294

Research Opportunities: Denis Paré

Current Research Interests:

Facilitation of memory consolidation by the amygdala in emotionally arousing conditions.

Emotionally charged events are better remembered than neutral ones.  The available data suggests that the amygdala is responsible for this modulation of memory consolidation by emotions.  In short,  neuromodulators released in emotionally arousing conditions would alter the activity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons in the hours after the learning episode.  In turn, these changes would facilitate synaptic plasticity elsewhere in the brain.  This view emerged from behavioral analyses of the effects of intra-amygdaloid drug injections; however, we have no direct evidence that these events take place.  Moreover, we do not know how transient increases in neuromodulator levels could exert a sustained effect on BLA neurons.  Considering the devastating psychological consequences of extreme stress, understanding how the amygdala modulates memory emerges as an issue of fundamental importance.  Thus, we are investigating this issue using a combination of behavioral experiments, multisite in vivo extracellular recordings and in vitro whole cell (standard and perforated patch) recordings in amygdala slices.

Microcircuit of the amygdaloid complex.  
           The amygdala is a nucleated structure of the temporal lobe critical for the expression and learning of fear responses. As a result, it is widely believed that disturbances in amygdala physiology underlie human anxiety disorders.  However, the inner workings of the amygdala remain obscure, in part because we do not understand its intrinsic network. This is why we are studying the intrinsic circuit of the amygdala, using in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological methods as well as single-cell labeling and immunohistochemistry at the light and electron microscopic (EM) level. As a first step, we focus on the lateral amygdaloid nucleus (LA) because it is the main input station of the amygdala for sensory afferents.  Given the implication of the amygdala in fear, this basic research program may lead to improvements in our understanding of human anxiety disorders.

More Information -

Webpage: Denis Paré
Email: pare@axon.rutgers.edu