ABSTRACT

How does the brain transform a brief and salient experience into a lasting memory? This project addresses this question by examining how pupil dynamics change during few-shot memory formation in mice.

The animals performed a virtual reality task in which they encountered a salient virtual trap. By tracking pupil responses across repeated experiences, we aimed to investigate whether changes in these physiological responses could reflect the transition from novelty to familiarity as memories are formed.

Our analyses provide preliminary evidence of a pupil constriction following the trap in some sessions. Although this effect is not yet generalizable across mice, these observations raise the possibility that pupil dynamics could provide an additional measure for investigating the physiological processes associated with memory formation.

WHY IT MATTERS

A memory is not simply a record of what happened: it emerges from the interaction between neural activity, behavior, and physiological state. Understanding this process requires studying these different levels together.

Pupil dynamics provide a way to monitor changes in physiological state while an animal is experiencing and learning about its environment. Ultimately, approaches that connect these different signals could help us better understand how memorable experiences are encoded and how neural representations evolve during learning.