Research

We are investigating how emotional signals are represented in the brain to yield specific effects on behavior, physiology and cognition. Current efforts are centered on the contributions of the midline thalamus to these processes. To address these questions we use in vivo calcium imaging techniques in conjunction with optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches

Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, genetic and pharmacological manipulations, gene expression assays and neuroanatomical tools, we investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlying emotional states.