How Brain Circuits Drive Behavior
Our lab is interested in understanding how the brain controls behavior. We focus on how neurons connect and communicate with each other to produce both simple and complex, plastic behaviors like aggression. These behaviors are shaped not only by the environment but also by internal systems such as the circadian clock, which helps animals anticipate changes in their surroundings over the course of the day.
One of our major goals is to understand how specific neurons are wired together to form circuits, and how these circuits develop and change over time. To address these questions, we combine behavioral experiments, genetic tools, and high-resolution imaging techniques. By studying how these highly stereotyped and well characterized neurons develop and integrate into neural circuits we aim to address more general questions in neuroscience, such as the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal connectivity.