Florida State University · PsychologyThalamic Memory Research Lab
Carmen Varela · Tallahassee, Florida
Research Focus
Dr. Carmen Varela's research lab focuses on understanding how different brain networks in the thalamus contribute to memory consolidation during sleep. By studying the electrical activities and oscillations that occur during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the lab aims to reveal how these dynamics affect memory processes. The ultimate goal is to develop new therapies for neuropsychiatric conditions that involve sleep and memory issues.
memory consolidationthalamocortical networksNREM sleepoptogeneticselectrophysiologyhippocampusneuropsychiatric disorderssleep oscillationsspindle activitybehavioral testing
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how thalamic networks contribute to memory consolidation during NREM sleep.
AIM 02Examine the effects of thalamic spindle activation dynamics on sleep-related memory processes.
AIM 03Determine the role of the thalamus in facilitating hippocampal ripple oscillations during sleep.
AIM 04Assess the causal contributions of thalamic activity to thalamocortical interactions that support memory consolidation.
AIM 05Develop a deeper understanding of the cellular mechanisms linking sleep and memory, relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Skills the Lab Values
optogeneticselectrophysiologybehavioral testingclosed-loop systemscomputational modelingcircuit analysiscell culturedata analysisextracellular recordings
Output against the department
Publications77bottom 19% of dept.240th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.1kbottom 9% of dept.269th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.