Nervous System and Brain Disorders

Dr. Arseny Finkelstein

Memory formation and neural plasticity

The brain is a highly plastic system that is constantly changing. Changes in interactions between neurons allow us to learn from experience and to create new memories. The longterm goal of Dr. Finkelstein’s lab is to study what constitutes the building blocks of memory by literally watching how memories are formed using optical imaging of the living brain, and by implanting artificial memories directly into the brain using novel optogenetic methods. Dr. Finkelstein studies https://www.finkelstein.sites.tau.ac .il/ memory formation processes using mice engaged in cognitively complex behaviors involving decision-making and navigation. The lab employs cutting edge microscopy techniques allowing turning on or off specific neurons in the brain, in combination with advanced computational methods for modeling and analysis of neural dynamics. In addition to studying changes in neural interactions in the healthy brain, Dr. Finkelstein’s lab will study another important aspect of neural plasticity – the reorganization of brain networks during neurodegeneration, with a focus on brain plasticity following stroke.

Dr. Finkelstein, PhD, is in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology in the School of Medicine and is affiliated with the Sagol School of Neuroscience . He completed his Ph.D. studies at the Weizmann Institute of Science and his postdoctoral training at Janelia Research Campus (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA). Dr. Finkelstein is a recipient of several awards including the Wolf Foundation award, Clore Foundation fellowship, The John F. Kennedy Prize (Weizmann Institute of Science), FENSKavli Network of Excellence PhD Thesis Prize, Young Investigator Award and the Capranica Prize from the International Society for Neuroethology, EMBO LongTerm Fellowship, Rothschild Fellowship for postdoctoral research, and is an Azrieli Foundation Early Career Faculty Fellow.