Research Projects

The use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a therapeutic intervention is FDA-cleared for treating depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and migraine, and shows promise for a host of other brain disorders. The appeal of TMS is its safety, non-invasiveness, and well-established capacity for modulating the activity of brain regions. In human subjects, that modulation is assessed only at the gross scale of behavioral, cognitive, or aggregate physiological effects (e.g. EMG, EEG, fMRI).

PROJECT SUMMARY Stroke is the leading cause of motor disability in the United States. While brain stimulation to enhance motor function after stroke has shown promise in small studies, two recent large stroke trials did not find evidence for significant benefits. A key uncertainty is about how to exactly tailor brain stimulation to effectively modulate neural dynamics associated with movement preparation and control.

PROJECT SUMMARY Rodent models are highly valuable for elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of chronic pain. Because rodents cannot articulate their sensation, “pain-like” behaviors have been used as the proxy. However, sensitivity and specificity of many existing methods for measuring rodent “pain” sensation, especially “chronic pain”, are uncertain. Here we propose to explore the feasibility of a largely automated and data-driven behavioral assay for identifying spontaneous pain in freely behaving mice.

R34 BRAIN Initiative. Optical interrogation of neural circuits in Manduca Project Summary / Abstract This BRAIN Circuits Planning Project will help to bridge the gap between well-established brain studies on the fruit fly, Drosophila, and complex behaviors exhibited more generally by other species.

PROJECT SUMMARY The cerebellum performs information processing for motor control and various cognitive functions in cooperation with the cerebral neocortex.

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: A major goal in neuroscience is to dissect the neural circuits that support complex behaviors. Comparative approaches are fundamental to the success of this goal, to separate species specializations from general principles, and to understand the brain in light of its evolved functions. The optical tools that have revolutionized circuit neuroscience in rodents must be expanded to investigate a broad range of species.

Project Summary  Animals  interact  with  members  of  their  own  or  other  species  in  the  context  of  social  and  defensive  behaviors, predator-­prey relationships and symbioses. In all such contexts, execution of the appropriate  kind  of  interaction  depends  on  a  sensorimotor  pathway  that  transduces  information  about  another  organism and 

Understanding overlap in resting state fMRI networks at the single cell level: a cross-species approach Abstract Resting state functional connectivity MRI (rsfcMRI) is a popular tool to investigate the intrinsic functional organization of the brain into large scale networks. Multiple different lines of investigation have pointed to the importance of densely interconnected `hub' regions for cognition and behavior. However, the functional architecture of cellular circuits in these hub regions is unknown.

Project Summary During perceptual decision-making, populations of neurons, arranged in highly interconnected microcircuits, work together to encode sensory stimuli and to transform sensory perception into appropriate behavioral choices. A fundamental gap in our knowledge about perceptual decision-making is understanding how the connectivity in cortical microcircuits shapes dynamics and information codes in populations of neurons.

Summary/Abstract Pain is a national health challenge costing our economy more than $600 Billions per year.