Chun-Lei Zhang

My core interest is to understand how the brain organizes itself and forms memories in response to sensory inputs experienced during behavior. Several brain regions are involved in these processes. In particular, communication between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critical for several fundamental memory functions, such as integrating accounts of experience, navigating towards known goals, encoding and consolidating memories, or retrieving them to guide future decisions. My goal is to identify the neuronal mechanisms underlying goal-directed navigation and spatial working memory. Here, I am combing my previous expertise with novel cutting-edge electrophysiological and optical recordings in behaving animals. My studies will be of critical importance for a detailed understanding of memory formation and consolidation.

2017-2022  Postdoc, Department of Neuroscience, Institute Pasteur, Paris;