Description:

The Department of Neuroscience Welcomes Dr. Linda Wilbrecht. Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley

Wilbrecht earned her Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University with Fernando Nottebohm | and did postdoctoral training at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
 
Title: "Adolescent experience and a putative sensitive period for learning and decision making in mice"

Abstract: There is growing interest in the concept of an ‘adolescent sensitive period,’ but this phrase can mean many things. This concept can be explored in laboratory mice by manipulating experience during development and testing behavioral or brain function in adulthood. Another approach is to compare adolescent versus adult learning and brain function to look for adolescent gain of function. In my talk, I will share what we have learned using both approaches. I then hope to engage the audience in discussion of two ideas 1) that an adolescent sensitive period may exist in rodents for learning and decision making (and fronto-basal ganglia circuit function) to support adaptive foraging behavior (Lin et al., 2020;2022) and 2) if there is/are adolescent sensitive period(s) in humans, might there be a sensitive period for goal formation that underlies the development of purpose and identity (Wilbrecht and Davidow, 2024).