Research summary
How does the brain learn to make predictions or update erroneous ones? And how does the brain go awry in disease? The brain’s ability to make predictions about upcoming events is at the heart of our capacity to handle life’s many demands. Dr. Mihaela Iordanova, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Neuroscience, is examining how predictions about upcoming aversive (negative) outcomes can spread across and influence our memory networks, linking events backward and forward in time.
She and her research team are looking for key insights into the neurobiological mechanisms behind how fear propagates. Their aim is to shed light on how emotional memories become integrated into an existing neural network and can influence new memories. Ultimately, they hope to support robust, translational knowledge of how memories link and predictions develop. Their work may also lead to new treatments for people with maladaptive memory processes.