# Hippocampal-prefrontal mechanisms of learning to learn

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2022 · $46,695

## Abstract

Project summary
The mammalian brain is remarkably ecient at rapidly learning from experience. We can quickly form generalizations
about our environment based on previously acquired knowledge, and we are able to establish and maintain detailed
memories after just a single exposure to a stimulus. This rapid, experience-dependent learning is critically dependent
on schemas, or learning sets, which are learned cognitive structures that organize knowledge and shape how incoming
sensory information is interpreted. A related phenomenon is learning to learn, which is observed when experience with
a task accelerates the learning of novel tasks or problems with a similar structure. Decades of experimental work have
emphasized the essential role of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex|and their interactions|in associative learning
and memory consolidation. However, the neural mechanisms underlying learning to learn remain largely unknown.
Learning eciently from prior experience is crucial for successful everyday life, and this skill is impaired in patients
with a number of neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, attention de cit disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy,
depression, and schizophrenia, which collectively a ect tens of millions of Americans. A deeper understanding of the
brain mechanisms underlying learning to learn can provide important insights into the neurological basis of learning-
related de cits in these patients, and can be used to develop e ective interventions targeted at memory loss and learning
disruption. To investigate the neural mechanisms of learning to learn, we will record neuronal population activity in
hippocampus and prefrontal cortex as animals acquire a learning set for a visual association task. In Aim 1, we will
determine how neuronal activity patterns within hippocampus and prefrontal transform during learning set formation
to support rapid learning. In Aim 2, we will characterize the changes in coordinated activity between hippocampus and
prefrontal cortex that re ect learning set formation. We hypothesize that learning set acquisition is accompanied by a
progressive emergence of stable, abstract neural representations of task-related information that can be re-used from
problem to problem, thereby constraining the neural exploration space during learning and leading to faster learning
through experience. In addition, we expect to observe a gradual shift from hippocampus-dependent to cortex-dependent
representations throughout the process of learning to learn.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10326844
- **Project number:** 5F31MH124395-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Barbara Peysakhovich
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,695
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10326844

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10326844, Hippocampal-prefrontal mechanisms of learning to learn (5F31MH124395-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10326844. Licensed CC0.

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