Learning and memory: From gene networks to brain activation patterns
You will work with data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP), consisting of behavioral, neuroimaging (EEG, MEG, MRI), and/or genetic data of 1,200 twins and their non-twin siblings. Combined with the appropriate analysis tools, this dataset provides the opportunity to achieve novel insights into the living human brain and to study the effect of our genetic background on brain functioning.
In recent years, advances in non-invasive neuroimaging and genetics have created the possibility to collect large amounts of data in a manageable time period. The question remains whether all this data can help us to elucidate the functioning of the human brain, and to study the influence of genetics on brain processing.
At the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio), one of our aims is to achieve new insights into the process of learning. In this project, we will explore correlates of learning and memory performance (as defined on the behavioral data of the HCP) in either the brain data (structural and functional connectivity) or the genetic data (through network and pathway analysis).
Moreover, we aim to explore the correlation between structural/functional brain data and genetics. This is a large project, and the student will be able to choose the main direction of the internship within the project based on his/her interest. The ultimate goal of the project is to connect processes functioning at the small spatial scale of molecular pathways to the large spatial scales of interacting neuronal populations. The earliest possible starting date of this internship is October 2019.