Physical sensations, such as a stomach knot when experiencing anxiety or trembling in the face of fear, have long been associated with our emotions. However, discerning the relationship between emotions and bodily functions has proven difficult due to the challenges in independently controlling the brain or body. Here we propose to develop biohybrid technologies that … Continued
My research aims to understand how the brain functions by taking a comparative approach orthogonal to most contemporary systems neuroscience studies. Instead of focusing on a single model species, we engineer new technologies to efficiently map and compare brains of many vertebrates at a resolution that can resolve the relevant constituent brain parts: single cells, … Continued
A key goal for neuroscience is to understand how neural activity is orchestrated in space and time to produce behavior. This pursuit is driven by both academic and clinical motivations, as pathological activity gives rise to debilitating diseases like Parkinson’s. However, we are near the limit of what current paradigms can offer. Sophisticated computational and … Continued
Our brains efficiently filter and compress visual information about the world through a neural code which informs cognition and behavior. Despite decades of effort, this code remains elusive. To understand the neural code for visual recognition, we need to extract samples of this code directly from neurons, in the least biased and constrained way possible. … Continued
We live in a world that is largely socially constructed. Empathy–the ability to share the emotional states of others–is crucial to our emotional and social lives. Empathy and empathy-induced altruism not only offer crucial benefits to individuals whose needs elicit empathic concern, but can also profoundly impact the mental and physical well-being of the altruistic … Continued
My long-term goal is to understand how neural activity both produces memories and protects brain health, while using this knowledge to engineer neural activity to treat brain diseases. Integrating innovative experimental and analytical methods, my research has shown how coordinated electrical activity across many neurons in the hippocampus represents memories of experiences. I have found … Continued
Our lab seeks to understand the neural basis of complex spatial and acoustic behaviors in mammals. To do so, we use one of the most spatially and acoustically sophisticated mammals on our planet – the echolocating bat. In the spatial domain, we take advantage of the bat’s ability to elegantly navigate during high-speed flight and … Continued
My research is centered on deciphering the brain, i.e. to understand how perception and behaviors are generated and controlled, how the brain adapts in response to changes in the dynamic external environment, and how specific changes in brain structure and functions result in neurological and psychiatric conditions. To address these challenging questions, my group developed … Continued
My lab investigates how animals sense their environment, and how they translate this information into changes in behavior and development. Current research in our lab focuses on three research areas, primarily in the C. elegans experimental system. In the first, we study how the cilia of sensory neurons acquire their unique morphologies and how these … Continued
Our group has done influential research in both computer science and neuroscience. Over the past decade, we helped pioneer the new field of connectomics, applying deep learning and crowdsourcing to reconstruct neural circuits from electron microscopic images. Our lab created EyeWire.org, a site that has recruited over 250,000 players from 150 countries to a game … Continued