Seminar by Prof. Anna Mitchell: "On the outskirts of cognition: the mediodorsal thalamus in learning and decision-making"

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Date:  Thursday, March 16, 2017

Time:  10:00 - 11:00

Venue: Seminar Room C700, Lab3

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Title: "On the outskirts of cognition: the mediodorsal thalamus in learning and decision-making"

Speaker: Prof. Anna Mitchell, from University of Oxford, Department of experimental psychology

Abstract: In many ways, the underdog in aspects of cognition is the mediodorsal thalamus. It is reciprocally connected to the prefrontal cortex – the superstar of the cognitive domain - yet very little is known about the functional role of the mediodorsal thalamus in cognitive functions. Its’ role is also likely linked with critical inputs received from the amygdala and basal ganglia. Previous research from my lab has demonstrated that the mediodorsal thalamus (especially the magnocellular subdivision that is interconnected with the ventral striatum and the orbitofrontal cortex) plays a key role in learning new information and adaptive decision-making. More recently, our studies have documented its critical importance for allowing the rapid updating of information to guide optimal decisions. Understanding the influence of the mediodorsal thalamus in learning and within the decision-making network will likely offer new insights into conditions in which these cognitive functions break down. Most psychiatric disorders involve abnormal decision-making, and it’s a core symptom in addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorders, major depression and schizophrenia. When we understand more about the underlying mechanisms that the  mediodorsal thalamus supports, it may also provide an avenue for helping cognitively able people get a mental boost.

Biography: Anna S Mitchell, PhD, received her doctorate in Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience from University of Canterbury, New Zealand and completed her postdoctoral training in the lab of Professor David Gaffan at the University of Oxford. A UK Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship supported Dr Mitchell earlier studies. Now, Dr Mitchell is an Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and her research is currently funded with a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science and a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award.

The aim of Dr Mitchell’s research is to understand the functional importance and underlying mechanisms associated with cortico-thalamo-cortical interactions in some of our daily cognitive abilities, e.g. learning new information, memory recall and adaptive decision-making. Dr Mitchell is particularly interested in the thalamic nuclei of the dorsal thalamus. The Mitchell lab uses a combination of research techniques, including behavioural and cognitive neuroscience testing, monkey electrophysiology, lesion studies and pharmacogenetics, brain imaging and neuroanatomical tracing studies. We are currently investigating how, and in what ways the interactions between the mediodorsal thalamus and interconnected neural regions (especially cortex) contribute to cognitive functioning using non-human primates and rodents. Dr Mitchell also studies cognitive abilities in humans with damage in the dorsal thalamus, e.g. after stroke or schizophrenia.