Research Approach
Electrophysiology
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We perform acute and chronic recordings using silicone electrodes to monitor brain activity in vivo. High-density electrodes such as Neuropixels allow us to track activity in large populations of neurons during behaviour.
Viral Approaches & Lesions
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Viral intersectional strategies allow us to perturb classes of neurons selectively. We also perform classical lesion experiments to test the requirement of defined cortical brain areas in behaviour.
Two-Photon Imaging
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Calcium imaging allows us to track neuronal activity over time. Recent technological advances such as the Mini2p system allow us to repeatedly image neuronal activity in freely moving animals.
Behavioural Paradigms
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We implement a variety of visually guided behavioural paradigms to study the circuit mechanisms underlying the transformation of visual inputs to actions as a function of experience and learning.
Optogenetics
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We use a variety of optogenetic approaches to perturb and control brain activity, including transcranial stimulation of cortex and fibre-mediated perturbations of activity in subcortical areas.
Other Techniques
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We use imaging approaches such as widefield imaging to delineate boundaries between visual cortical areas. We use computational approaches to study the link between brain activity and behavioural performance.
We study mice as a genetically tractable mammalian model system to determine how defined brain circuit elements shape information processing and the emergence of visual perception and visually guided behaviour.
We use a wide range of contemporary experimental techniques, including large-scale in vivo electrophysiology, two-photon calcium imaging, optogenetics, viral approaches, and behavioural analysis, to determine the role of select types of brain cells in cortical and subcortical areas.
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