This summer, neuroscience major Riley Acker participated in the O’Day Fellowship for Biological Sciences with his mentor, graduate student Troy Hauser. Acker’s research investigates how brainwaves affect the separation between encoding and retrieval in memories. That is, the separate processes of creation and remembrance of memories. Hauser explained that Acker’s project is looking at sub-second fluctuations in memory performance and its correlation to neural oscillations, also known as brainwaves. Hippocampal subregions, including CA1 and CA3, exhibit rhythmic changes in activity. 

“It’s known that these regions of the hippocampus are naturally oscillating between a state of informing memories and retrieving memories,” said Hauser. The hippocampus is heavily involved in the formation, storage, and retrieval of memories in the mammalian brain. Brainwaves observed in the hippocampus are closely associated with cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and spatial navigation. 

Acker’s research tests the hypothesis that the ability to encode or retrieve information fluctuates several times per second. He has found a way to test this theory on a human-based model. Most neuroscience research has been conducted on rodents, but Acker is using a digital cognitive model to study activity deep within the human brain. His project is a behavioral study, rather than the more invasive research sometimes needed to be done in neuroscience. 

“While these findings are seen in rats or cats, it is also important to verify them in humans because we have a much different brain,” said Acker. “The cognitive approach we’re taking prevents any invasive methods.” 

Dasa Zeithamova-Demircan, assistant professor of neuroscience and principal investigator of the Brain and Memory Lab, says that the research team has encountered a proposal which suggests that it might be possible to reset the phase our brains are in, making it possible to dictate when a person is ready to retrieve new memories. 

“We can time at various intervals after that reset and see if being at different points in the phase changes how people are doing,” said Zeithamova-Demircan. “This allows us to test the data in healthy humans.” 

Why this research matters

Acker hopes that his research will help people figure out why degenerative diseases in the brain lead to memory loss. “I was working in retirement living, and it was really sad to see those memories depreciate over time,” said Acker. “I feel like memory is such an integral part of our life. It’s what makes us who we are.” 

Acker says that when people have conditions that impact their memory, such as Alzheimer’s disease, it makes it difficult for them to navigate the world. 

“It’s known that in certain times, theta rhythm is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease; the project could have future implications for diagnosing Alzheimer’s, which isn’t a trivial point because it’s very hard to officially diagnose it,” said Hauser. 

However, Hauser says that more research would need to be done specifically on individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The project’s most direct impact would likely be with the methodological advances Acker is researching. 

“Being able to demonstrate the role of theta frequency in memory in humans with a computer and a clever experimental design with no direct, invasive measure is exciting for us,” said Zeithamova-Demircan. 

Future implications

Acker expressed that even if his research doesn’t have a direct impact on people, he hopes that it will influence and impact future research work. 

“Even if a topic is incredibly niche, it’s almost like a piece of a 10,000-piece puzzle,” he said. “If we really want to move forward as a species, I feel like it’s important for people to nerd out on these niches because once you really understand the constituent parts, you can put together the whole puzzle.” 

Acker says that no one person can put together the "whole puzzle” and instead we need to dedicate time to each individual piece. He became a neuroscience major partially in hopes of helping build this puzzle. 

“Everything we do, everything we see, everything we feel, et cetera, is all because of the brain, which is studied through neuroscience. It's the least understood field. I think people really overestimate how much is known.” — Riley Acker

Acker is in his senior year and hopes to continue with research after college. He says that his experience in the O’Day Fellowship helped solidify that decision. 

“I’m really thankful for this program because it gives future researchers the ability to experience what full-time research is like,” said Acker. 

— By Stephanie Metzger, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation