Dr Candice Lee
I am a post-doctoral research scientist interested in the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying sensory processing and how these processes are transformed into long-term memories that guide learning. I am currently a part of the Bruno research group, at the University of Oxford and am funded by the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
I completed my PhD in Neuroscience in the group of Prof. Simon Chen at the University of Ottawa in Canada, where I studied cell-type specific roles in associative memory in the motor cortex and was funded by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology. I also hold a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Ottawa.
Curriculum vitae | Google Scholar | LinkedIn | candice.lee@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Whole-brain mapping of long-range inputs to the VIP-expressing inhibitory neurons in the primary motor cortex
Using monosynaptic rabies tracing, we mapped whole-brain inputs to three inhibitory interneuron subtypes and to excitatory neurons in the motor cortex. We found that the orbitofrontal cortex—a region implicated in reinforcement learning—preferentially targets VIP interneurons, a subtype we previously identified as reward-responsive in motor cortex.
Cell-type-specific responses to associative learning in the primary motor cortex
We used in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to track different neuronal subtypes in the motor cortex during associative learning. We found that major neuron types respond differently to cues and reward. After learning, PV interneurons responded more to cues, while VIP interneurons were more responsive to rewards.
Light Up the Brain: The Application of Optogenetics in Cell-Type Specific Dissection of Mouse Brain Circuits
Optogenetics have become a widely used tool in neuroscience research. This review aims to provide a practical overview for researchers using optogenetics in circuit dissection.
Neural activity in a hippocampus-like region of the teleost pallium is associated with active sensing and navigation
Using extracellular recordings in freely swimming weakly electric fish during a spatial navigation task, we identified navigation-related neural activity in a brain region analogous to the mammalian hippocampus.