Neuronal Circuits & Brain Dynamics

The team is focusing on how neurochemicals and body signals influence the brain:

• She is studying how the simultaneous release of neuromodulators, such as dopamine and serotonin, influences the activity of neurons and the coordination of brain regions.
• She also studies how body signals, such as respiration, serve as fundamental elements of the architecture of the oscillatory circuit.
• She uses her approach to study brain dynamics during behaviour and sleep and their involvement in transforming fleeting experiences into long-term memories.

To answer these fundamental questions about the nature and function of the brain, the team is combining a series of advanced neurotechnologies that allow us to observe and control brain activity:

• It uses electricity and light to "read" and "write" information and memories in the brain
• She uses genetics to modify the activity and architecture of neural circuits.
• She uses mathematics to analyze and model our data and to better understand brain activity.

Using these approaches, we aim to identify and explore the fundamental principles of neural circuit organization and apply our understanding to the betterment of the human condition.