BRANDON LAB
The Brandon Lab at McGill University studies the neural circuits of memory, spatial navigation, and Alzheimer's disease.
Navigation
Navigation is an essential cognitive skill, guiding us seamlessly through the environment. Our laboratory's research is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of this skill, which relies on sophisticated neural circuitry spanning subcortical to cortical regions. Despite its critical role in everyday functioning, navigation is one of the first abilities compromised by neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease, leading to disorientation and distress. Our work seeks to understand these processes in their entirety, aiming to shed light on the broader neural underpinnings of cognition and inform strategies to preserve orientation capabilities in vulnerable populations.
Memory
Memory is the tapestry of our identity, seamlessly encoding, retaining, and retrieving the myriad details that make up our daily lives. This intricate system allows us to learn from the past, adapt to the present, and plan for the future. However, this effortless process is vulnerable to the effects of aging, with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's disease highlighting the fragility of our cognitive archives. Our research delves into the mechanisms of memory, seeking to understand and mitigate the decline that can dim the vividness of our personal narratives as we age.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's Disease represents one of the most significant challenges to cognitive health in the aging population, characterized by a progressive decline in memory and spatial navigation. Our laboratory employs advanced genetically engineered mouse models to replicate the hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's, providing a window into the deteriorating neural systems. Through meticulous study of these models, we aim to pinpoint the disruptions within the brain's memory and navigation circuits. Understanding the intricacies of these impairments is the first step toward our ultimate goal: devising therapeutic strategies to repair and restore cognitive functions, thereby reorienting and reconnecting individuals with Alzheimer's to the world around them.
Research Themes
OUR RESEARCH
Research Themes
We investigate how the brain computes direction, position, and reorientation in space. This work focuses on head direction coding, path integration, cue-based realignment, and the circuit mechanisms that anchor internal spatial representations to the external world.
We study how hippocampal and related circuits encode experience across learning, recall, and long-term behavioral change. A central goal is to understand how memory representations are maintained, updated, and reorganized over time.
We study how the neural circuits that support memory and navigation are altered in early Alzheimer's disease. Using mouse models and circuit-level approaches, the lab aims to identify functional changes that precede severe cognitive impairment.
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
Carl Sagan
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