Our laboratory specialises on the technical development and application of light- and genetics-based functional imaging approaches to understand how behaviour emerges from the electrical activities of neuronal circuits. Using genetically encoded indicators, we pursue a mesoscopic imaging approach that bridges cellular and system levels of understanding. 

Research themes

One of the key challenges in current neurosciences is to understand how the brain generates behavior and cognition out of the collective electrical activity of cortical nerve cells. The main research focus of our group is to address this challenge using a combination of approaches, including optical imaging in vivo and ex vivo, optogenetic manipulations, electrophysiology, and cellular and molecular biology techniques. 

Using this multidisciplinary approach, we focus on several main research themes: 

Cortical dynamics and behaviour

• Linking cortex-wide patterns of electrical activity with goal-directed behaviour
• Elucidating features of cortical circuit dynamics and information content
• Circuit plasticity

Neuropharamcology and Disorders

• Investigating the cortical mechanism of action of psychedelic drugs
• Imaging amyloid-B aggregation in the synapse

In addition we are committed to further understand and develop neurotechnology and optical imaging methods. Our current interests are:

• Exploring the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical circuit dynamics
• Development and tuning of genetically encoded voltage indicator imaging