Brainstem Control of Fear and Memory 
Gabor Nyiri,
HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine – Budapest

Résumé
The brain’s ability to process and learn from both positive and negative experiences is one of its most crucial functions. Dysfunction of this system can lead to mental disorders and cognitive impairment, which are among the greatest medical burdens on society. These higher-order cortical mechanisms rely on subcortical inputs to control cortical representations and update them with primary modalities such as the valence of an event. However, many of these subcortical inputs remain unidentified. In my presentation I will talk about the role of four adjacent, interconnected pontine brainstem nuclei in these processes, primarily through the study of fear and reward memory. Our results clearly show that these nuclei receive specific, direct, and abundant cortical inputs and contain several as yet unknown cell populations that provide fast, specific, and behaviourally important excitatory and inhibitory inputs to both higher-order cortices and negative valence centres. This suggests that the pons has a fast and specific control centre for cognitive and affective processes.

Invité par Rosa Cossart
Lundi 22 septembre 2025 à 11h, salle de conférence de l’Inmed