Overview
Our laboratory is interested in how neural circuits generate sensory perception and behavior. We use a combination of molecular genetic, in vivo imaging, behavioral and computational approaches to determine fundamental functional properties of neural networks in the mammalian cortex.
A central question in neuroscience is how sensory stimuli are detected and processed by neural circuits to generate sensory perception and behavior. Our laboratory has developed new molecular viral-genetic approaches to target and manipulate defined neural cell types in the olfactory cortex of mice. Furthermore, we have characterized, using in vivo two-photon microscopy and electrophysiological recordings, fundamental principles of odor information coding in cortical neural networks. These recent advances open up new opportunities to explore how diverse neural cell types contribute to odor coding, and how sensory information is transmitted to downstream target areas involved in multimodal sensory integration, perception, and motor control. Finally, we are interested in how brain and behavioral state, and learning and experience alter olfactory neural network functions.