Research

The cerebral cortex is viewed as the cognitive headquarter of the brain, accommodating specific cortical circuits for decision making, conscious perception and coordination of behaviour. But how does the cortex communicate with the rest of the brain to fulfil this function and how are impairments to this communication expressed in brain diseases? Our lab investigates the structure and the functional mechanisms underlying the interplay between the cortex and subcortical networks that give rise to cognitive functions, including sensori-motor transformations, perceptual salience and pathological pain. We are leveraging a combination of in vivo deep-brain electrophysiology, intersectional genetic circuit interventions and behavioural approaches in the mouse model system.

Corticosubcortical pathways originate in deep layers of the cortex and communicate cortical output signals to various parts of the brain. In this example, we visualized layer 5 neurons (red) projecting to the superior colliculus and layer 6 neurons (green) projecting to the thalamus.