Mark Sheffield, PhD

We use optical techniques to measure and manipulate the activity of cells and circuits in the brain involved in the formation and recall of complex memories. We use mice as our animal model, and virtual reality as a platform for learning and memory related tasks. Our goal is to understand how the brain forms and recalls memories at the scale of synapses and dendrites through to the level of large ensembles of neurons and across brain regions.

Northwestern University
Evanston, USA
- Postdoc - Neurobiology
2017

Northwestern University
Evanston, USA
Ph. D. - Neurobiology
2011

University of Nottingham
Nottingham, England
BSc/Msc - Neuroscience
2006

Distinct catecholaminergic pathways projecting to hippocampal CA1 transmit contrasting signals during navigation in familiar and novel environments.
Distinct catecholaminergic pathways projecting to hippocampal CA1 transmit contrasting signals during navigation in familiar and novel environments. bioRxiv. 2024 Jul 24.
PMID: 38076843

Reward Expectation Reduces Representational Drift in the Hippocampus.
Reward Expectation Reduces Representational Drift in the Hippocampus. bioRxiv. 2023 Dec 21.
PMID: 38187677

The Precision of Place Fields Governs Their Fate across Epochs of Experience.
The Precision of Place Fields Governs Their Fate across Epochs of Experience. eNeuro. 2023 Dec; 10(12).
PMID: 37973379

Distinct catecholaminergic pathways projecting to hippocampal CA1 transmit contrasting signals during behavior and learning.
Distinct catecholaminergic pathways projecting to hippocampal CA1 transmit contrasting signals during behavior and learning. bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 30.
PMID: 38076843

A thalamic-hippocampal CA1 signal for contextual fear memory suppression, extinction, and discrimination.
A thalamic-hippocampal CA1 signal for contextual fear memory suppression, extinction, and discrimination. Nat Commun. 2023 10 24; 14(1):6758.
PMID: 37875465

Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval.
Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval. bioRxiv. 2023 Mar 27.
PMID: 37034812

Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval.
Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval. Res Sq. 2023 Mar 27.
PMID: 37034716

Reward expectation extinction restructures and degrades CA1 spatial maps through loss of a dopaminergic reward proximity signal.
Reward expectation extinction restructures and degrades CA1 spatial maps through loss of a dopaminergic reward proximity signal. Nat Commun. 2022 11 04; 13(1):6662.
PMID: 36333323

Partial connectomes of labeled dopaminergic circuits reveal non-synaptic communication and axonal remodeling after exposure to cocaine.
Partial connectomes of labeled dopaminergic circuits reveal non-synaptic communication and axonal remodeling after exposure to cocaine. Elife. 2021 12 29; 10.
PMID: 34965204

Distinct place cell dynamics in CA1 and CA3 encode experience in new environments.
Distinct place cell dynamics in CA1 and CA3 encode experience in new environments. Nat Commun. 2021 05 20; 12(1):2977.
PMID: 34016996

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Sloan
2018 - 2020

Searle scholars program
2018 - 2021

DP2 - New Innovator Award
NIH
2018 - 2023

Whitehall Foundation
2017 - 2020