Research

The overall goal of the lab is to understand how sensory-motor neural circuits allow us to perceive, interact with, and learn about the world, with a focus on the sense of touch. My laboratory approaches this by measuring and manipulating neural circuit dynamics during behavior. We apply methods of in vivo intracellular and extracellular electrophysiology, in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, optogenetics, and quantitative behavioral analysis. My laboratory is currently exploring the neural basis of touch perception and sensory-motor integration at essentially all levels of the nervous system, from peripheral mechanosensory neurons to interactions among multiple sensory-motor cortical areas.