Neural Circuits and Computation Laboratory

The broad goal of the NCC Lab’s research is to understand the principles of computation performed by individual neurons and the neural circuits they form, and to identify how neurological and psychiatric diseases disrupt these operations. To do this, we have developed novel tools and technologies that incorporate high-density neurophysiological recordings in awake behaving animals, reprogrammed human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC), whole cell electrophysiology, 2-photon imaging, and theory.

These resources are brought to bear on 2 overarching questions in the lab:

1. What does the activity of large ensembles of neurons tell us about the computations being performed while the animal is behaving, and how is this activity disrupted by neurological and psychiatric disorders.
2. How do the biophysical properties of neurons shape their computations, to what extent are these properties unique in human neurons, and how do diseases alter biophysics and therefore circuit function.