Role of dopamine activity during REM sleep in memory consolidation

Dr Dahan showed that dopamine neurons in ventral tegmental area (VTA) are activated during REM sleep (Dahan et al., NeuroPsychoPharm, 2006) and involved in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus (Sayegh et al, PhD thesis 2022). The aim of this internship will be to test if VTA dopamine neurons are involved in memory consolidation occuring during REM sleep. The student will use behavioral memory test in mice together will EEG recordings and optogenetic inhibition of dopaminergic neurons. This combination of technics will allow us to specifically inhibit dopamine neurons during REM sleep episodes that follow a training session and to test the impact of such an inhibition on memory.