https://med.umn.edu/biomedical/research/heck-lab
Dr. Heck’s lab focuses on network aspects of brain function, investigating how different parts of the brain interact during performance of motor and non-motor task. His lab specifically investigates how the cerebellum is integrated into brain wide networks and how it contributes to brain function.
Dr. Heck’s most recent work has shown that the cerebellum represents information about the phase and phase differences of neuronal oscillations in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, two brain areas critically involved in many aspects of memory related functions. His group showed also that stimulation of the cerebellar cortex disrupts spatial working memory dependent decision making in mice and impairs neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus linked to decision making. These findings support the Heck Lab’s working hypothesis that the cerebellum acts as a coordinator of task-specific neuronal communication between forebrain areas.
Click here for a list of recent publications.
