RESEARCH:

Our lab studies how brain-wide networks of neurons work together to make decisions and select relevant sensory information. These internal processes support flexible behavior in changing environments and are often impaired in brain disorders. While signals from individual neurons appear to be noisy, large populations can show orderly activity that tracks an animal’s internal state. To study these dynamics, we record at cellular resolution from hundreds to thousands of neurons across up to twenty brain regions while rats perform behavioral tasks. We use machine learning tools to identify patterns in these datasets and link them to behavior. Recently, we identified a distinct population signature, the neurally-inferred time of decision commitment (nTc), that marks when the animal makes up its mind and stops considering new evidence. Building on this, we are now studying how attention and learning shape these dynamics and how they are disrupted by disease. Ultimately, we aim to understand how neurons across multiple brain regions work together to generate flexible, complex behavior.