Yitzhak (Itzik) Norman, PhD

Welcome

I am a Jane Coffin Childs postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Edward Chang's (lab website) laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). I earned my PhD in Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the mentorship of Prof. Rafael Malach. My research investigates the neuronal mechanisms underlying speech and memory in the human brain, with an emphasis on the interaction between the cerebral cortex and hippocampus during the formation and retrieval of declarative memories.

My research aims to understand how speech and memory circuits interact, leveraging advanced techniques such as high-density electrocorticography (ECoG), SEEG, Neuropixel recordings, and ultra-high-field (7-Tesla) MRI. This integrated approach enables the exploration of cognitive functions across multiple spatiotemporal scales, from macroscopic mapping of cortico-hippocampal circuits through mesoscopic neuronal population coding to microscopic interactions within local neuronal assemblies. By integrating these state-of-the-art methods with computational modeling, I seek to uncover novel mechanistic insights into the fundamental processes of learning and memory in the human brain.

The cognitive flexibility of humans, combined with the ability to articulate detailed verbal reports on ongoing mental processes, provides an unparalleled neuro-cognitive window into the brain's mnemonic operations. My work seeks to leverage these human-unique attributes to elucidate the neuronal dynamics and computations underlying memory and verbal cognition.

News

• June 2025 | recipient of the BWF career award at the scientific interface (CASI) 🎉
• October 2024  |  SFN annual meeting, poster presentation.
• March 2024  |  COSYNE conference, presenting my findings on the role of sensorimotor theta rhythm in speech coordination and verbal memory formation
• December 2023  |  my latest preprint is out, exploring the role of hippocampal ripples in children's recognition memory processes (link) 
• July 2022  |  recipient of the EMBO postdoctoral fellowship (link) 🎉
• July 2022  |  recipient of the Jane Coffin Childs postdoctoral fellowship (link) 🎉
• March 2022  |  recipient of the Outstanding PhD Student Award in honor of Dr. Fani Andelman (FMEM 2022) 🎉
• September 2021  |  our study on the role of hippocampal ripples in declarative memory is published as cover article in Neuron (link)
• September 2021  |  joined Chang lab as a postdoctoral scholar
• June 2021  |  recipient of the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program postdoctoral award  🎉
• March 2021  |  passing my PhD dissertation defense, Neurobiology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science 🎉
• March 2020  |  recipient of the John F. Kennedy doctoral award for academic excellence and outstanding scientific accomplishments, FGS (link) 🎉
• August 2019  |  my primary doctoral work on the role of sharp wave ripples in spontaneous recollection is published in Science (link)
• November 2017  |  my first paper, exploring top-down control mechanisms during free recall, is out in Nat. Commun. (link)