NEUROPLASTICITY TEAM
Team
Thesis topics
Rationale and Objectives
The song control system (SCS) in birds is an exclusive model to study interactions between brain and behavioural plasticity. Repeated in vivo MRI is used to observe dynamic changes within a songbird’s brain and further characterize the observation with behavior.
Methodology
Manganese Enhanced MRI (MEMRI) and Diffusion-Tensor MRI (DTI) allow evaluating functional changes and visualizing/quantifying changes of the SCS. In vivo bioluminescence, MRI and histology will be used to study the relation between neurogenesis and learning in songbirds.
Funding
Collaborations
Team
- Dr. Geert De Groof (Post Doc)
- Elisabeth Jonckers (PhD student)
Thesis topics
Rationale and Objectives
The song control system (SCS) in birds is an exclusive model to study interactions between brain and behavioural plasticity. Repeated in vivo MRI is used to observe dynamic changes within a songbird’s brain and further characterize the observation with behavior.
Methodology
Manganese Enhanced MRI (MEMRI) and Diffusion-Tensor MRI (DTI) allow evaluating functional changes and visualizing/quantifying changes of the SCS. In vivo bioluminescence, MRI and histology will be used to study the relation between neurogenesis and learning in songbirds.
Funding
- GOA
- IUAP MIMI
- FWO (PhD grants and postdoc)
- IWT (PhD grant)
Collaborations
- Jacques Balthazart (University of Liège, Belgium).
- Marcel Eens (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
- Martine Hausberger (Ethos, CNRS-University of Rennes 1, France).
