RESEARCH

Background   

   The first time that we encounter a new stimulus our brain engages a high response to the novel event. Novelty increases attention, arousal or even facilitates cognition, a combination of neuronal responses necessary to evaluate the potential salience of the new event. This heightened response to novelty and the habituation process that occurs with repeated exposures are critical motivational drives for the adaptation to ever-changing environments and for goal-directed behaviors. Disruption in these responses contribute to numerous neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, highlighting the importance of understanding the neurobiological and neuropathological mechanisms behind novelty processing.

Research Goals

   The major goal of our research is to investigate: 1) the neuronal circuits and molecular mechanisms controlling the response to novelty and adaptive learning with multiple exposures; 2) how novelty circuits are disrupted in neurological disorders, to what extent they contribute to the disease pathophysiology and, whether specifically targeting these circuits could serve as a therapeutic strategy; 3) individual genetic components of novelty circuits and how these are shaped across life span experience.

   To address all these questions, we integrate a multidisciplinary approach across behavioral, circuit, molecular and genetic levels that include viral-mediated circuit mapping, gene expression analysis, photometry recordings, optogenetics, together with mouse behavioral paradigms.