One of the major tasks that the nervous system faces is that of linking perception to action. We perceive the world around us through our senses and we use this information to select the most appropriate set of actions. My lab studies the organization and function of neural circuits controlling movement in mice. Our aim is to define the neural circuits responsible for generating automatic and goal-oriented movements and delineate the underlying sensory-motor integration processes that link perception to action. We investigate these questions by using and developing a variety of methodologies. These include mouse genetics, viral strategies for circuit tracing and functional manipulation, in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics and behavioral analysis.
