Research

Synaptic- and circuit-level mechanisms of associative learning

How does the brain learn from experience, and transform it into memory? We address this question using simple associative-learning behavioral paradigms as tractable models. We delineate learning-related plasticity at multiple scales—from synapse to circuit— and test its causal roles via targeted perturbations. Our toolkit spans deep-brain 2-photon imaging in behaving animals, ex vivo slice physiology, and comprehensive circuit tracing and manipulation.

Neuromodulators in flexible decision-making

How does the brain adapt choices to an ever changing world? We probe the roles of neuromodulators—particularly the monoamines dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and acetylcholine—in flexible decision-making and working memory. Our approach combines quantitative rodent behavior, in vivo optical measurements with genetically encoded sensors, large-scale electrophysiology, and reinforcement-learning modelling. 

Dissecting circuit mechanisms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Fear learning is an evolutionarily conserved function that promotes survival by driving adaptive avoidance. When showing maladaptation, however, persistent or generalised fear can severely impair life in modern societies. The amygdala—deep in the lateral forebrain—acts as a key hub for calibrating fear through coordinated interactions with prefrontal and hippocampal circuits. We dissect these networks with fine grained cell type resolution to reveal how the neural circuits set an optimal “fear set-point,” and how such regulations are impaired in anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our approach combines deep-brain imaging in freely behaving animals, ex vivo slice physiology, targeted circuit tracing and perturbation, pharmacology, and transcriptome analysis.