Heather Cameron, Ph.D.

Research Topics

The granule cells of the hippocampus are one of the only neuronal populations in the brain that continue to be generated throughout life. The goal of our research is to understand how and why these new neurons alter hippocampal structure, network activity, and behavior.

Much of our current work is aimed at identifying situations and tasks in which behavior is most strongly affected by adult-born neurons and teasing apart the specific cognitive processes underlying behavioral changes. Suppressing adult neurogenesis in mice and rats alters physiological and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress and alters motivation, strategy testing, and shifting of attention. We are particularly interested in the role of the new neurons in motivational conflict situations, when animals are forced to choose between multiple goals, and in driving investigation under conditions of uncertainty. By biasing behavior during motivational conflicts, ongoing neurogenesis may help optimize behavior in novel or unpredictable situations according to levels of threat in the environment.

We are also working to understand how adult neurogenesis alters network activity within the hippocampus and in downstream areas such as the prefrontal cortex. Inhibiting adult neurogenesis decreases activation across the hippocampal network when animals are faced with an unpredictable threat. We are interested in identifying the features of the new neurons that interact with particular features of the environment to drive adaptive changes in behavior.