Exploring the brain’s ‘unknown zone’

“Learning and memory are fundamental to human and animal behaviour. Mapping how these cells in the zona incerta connect to the rest of the brain and how these connections are activated during learning and memory will advance our knowledge of how behaviour may be controlled in the nervous system,” said Dr Perry.

“We believe the zona incerta could be involved in numerous functions thanks to its widespread connections throughout the brain, but there’s still so much that remains unknown about how it operates.”

The team was awarded Discovery Project funding from the Australian Research Council receiving over $519,000 to undertake the project.

A mystery region of the brain associated with learning and memory is set to reveal its secrets in a new study exploration at the Florey. Described as one of the least studied regions of the brain, the zona incerta – translated as the “unknown zone” in Latin – will be at the centre of the project.

Dr Christina Perry and Professor Andrew Lawrence who are leading the project were the first to identify a specific population of cells in this region that when activated, inhibit expression of memory and acquisition of new learning.

“This incredibly exciting project will allow us to bring new knowledge of the brain’s circuitry to the scientific community, such as how the brain combines information to produce a behavioural output, like learning. We hope to investigate the connectivity of these cells before moving to test their function experimentally,” said Professor Lawrence.