Research Interests
Large-scale Neural Recordings
Large-scale Neural Recordings
Our laboratory’s overarching goal is to understand how neural computations drive behavior. We primarily focus on motor control experiments, including reaching/limb movements, saccadic eye movements, and smooth pursuit eye movements, as these allow for the precise measurement of motor outputs. Beyond motor control, we are also deeply interested in cognitive processes such as complex decision-making. While animals perform these behaviors, we record the spiking activity from large populations of well-isolated neurons to uncover the fundamental brain computations underlying behavior.
Computational Modeling, Machine Learning, and AI
Computational Modeling, Machine Learning, and AI
We use computational modeling techniques to link recorded neurophysiological data with behavioral parameters. Traditional approaches, such as peri-stimulus time histograms, provide a foundational framework for linking neurophysiology to behavior but often fall short when addressing complex behaviors. To overcome these limitations, our lab leverages recent advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence to build data-driven models that explain our observations. These models are rigorously tested through follow-up behavioral and neurophysiological experiments, as a model's true value lies in its ability to generate testable predictions.
Learning and Memory
Learning and Memory
A central pillar of our research focuses on understanding how memories are learned, recalled, and expressed by the brain. While it is well established that learning and memory involve changes in neural excitability, mediated by intrinsic mechanisms or synaptic plasticity, much of the existing research into learning and memory emphasizes single sites or synapses in isolation. Our lab seeks to understand how coordinated plasticity across multiple sites and synapses enables the encoding of complex memories, prevents interference from previously acquired memories, and facilitates rapid and appropriate expression. While our primary focus has been on the cerebellum due to its critical role in motor learning and motor memories, we are expanding our investigations to encompass other learning systems.