Network Dynamics, Behavior & Arousal State

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Being alert elevates perception and performance - is it a result of an internal (hidden) state? Can we decode this state from brain activity?

Experimental work across a variety of species has demonstrated that spontaneously generated behaviors are robustly coupled to variation in neural activity within the cerebral cortex.  We use data of global networks (mesoscopic widefield imaging) and and local cellular resolution (2-photon microscopy) to investigate the dynamics of neuronal networks of the brain at different spatial scales, as a function of task-related behavior and arousal state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Network Plasticity During Learning

 

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How do we learn? Does training of a new task changes the dynamics of neuronal networks in the cortex? Does the brain change the way behavior is encoded through learning? We develop novel analysis methods to explore network reorganization and representation of behavior across different time scales of training of a new task. 

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Neurodevelopmental & Degenerative Disorders

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Neurodevelopmental perturbations have provided substantial insight into the cellular- and circuit-level consequences of genetic mutations linked to autism, schizophrenia, and other human disorders. We collaborate with the Higley and Cardin labs at Yale University to explore the dynamics of cortical networks in mutant mice whose developmental dysfunction causes Rett Syndrome.