NBIO Presents: Nanthia Suthana, PhD (Duke University)

Neural Dynamics of Human Memory in Naturalistic Environments

Understanding how the human brain supports memory in real-world settings remains a central challenge in neuroscience. In this talk, I will present work combining intracranial recordings, wearable sensing, and immersive paradigms to study memory during naturalistic behavior. We recorded activity from the human medial temporal lobe while participants navigated real and virtual environments alongside measurements of eye movements and behavior. Neural activity exhibited structured dynamics linked to memory-guided exploration, including coordination with eye movements and representations of position along remembered routes, with consistent organization across real and imagined navigation. Extending this framework, I will present findings from naturalistic fear conditioning paradigms, demonstrating how memory-related neural dynamics are shaped by emotional learning. I will discuss how these insights can be leveraged to decode and modulate maladaptive memory processes, with implications for developing closed-loop neurostimulation approaches for disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.