Systems Neuroscience Laboratory
Head of laboratory:
The mammalian brain sub-serves our amazing ability to perceive and interact seamlessly with our surroundings. Illness or injury affecting the brain can lead to debilitating consequences. For example, Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the basal ganglia, seriously impacts our motor output. The progression of Alzheimer's disease leads to the deterioration of memory. A stroke can potentially eliminate our ability to see.
This laboratory is interested in understanding the layout and function of the neural circuits that underlie perception and complex behaviours. By employing a combination of anatomical and physiological methods, this work aims to reveal the actual functional connections of neurons forming the circuits that give rise to these higher functions.
Currently, this group is focusing on elucidating the neural circuits involved in the execution of volitional movement, visual perception, and memory, with a particular emphasis on how cells in different but related brain regions communicate with one another. This research employs a novel neural circuit mapping technique called laser scanning photostimulation to reveal the sources of cortical input to individual cells in living brain slices. Determining the functional connectivity between individual neurons that make up neural circuits will provide insight into how information encoded by the firing of these cells are processed and transformed, ultimately leading to a better understanding of how neuronal activity leads to the etiology of disease, an appreciation of ourselves, and our interactions with the world around us.
