Our Research
Our overall goal is to understand how the brain turns on and off appropriate actions.
The research in our laboratory is particularly focused on:
1. Elucidating the cellular and circuity mechanism in basal ganglia output structures for action generation
and termination.
2. Examining how these circuits are affected in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease,
Autism and Obsessive compulsive disorder.
Using optogenetic tools, deep brain calcium imaging and optrode recording, we aim to characterize novel circuits
and related cell types that are critical for action.
Behavior
We would understand how our brain process action signals:
-Understanding the behavioral sequences underlying the initiation, repetition and termination of specific action
-Characterizing which brain regions generate internal cues to initiate and convert action sequences
-Examining how these are affected in neurological diseases including Parkinson disease, Autism and
Obsessive compulsive disorders.
Neural circuitry
We would refine behavior-specific brain map:
-Activity mapping of neural circuitry related with specific action
-Identification of new cell types related with the behavior
-Analyzing the anatomical and functional interactions of cell type specific circuitry
New working model
We are eager to find the new principles underlying how brain works:
-Linking anatomical interaction with behavior-driven activity
-Finding new behavioral codes hidden in the brain through data based analysis
(* Behavioral codes suggest new models for explaining of action programming and adaptation
by internal/external cues)
-Predicting behavior-driven power from behavioral codes