Department: Neurobiology

We study how the neural circuitry of the vertebrate retina encodes visual information and performs computations. To control and measure the retinal circuit, we present visual images while performing simultaneous two-photon imaging and multielectrode recording. We perturb the circuit as it operates using simultaneous intracellular current injection and multielectrode recording, and use the resulting large data sets to construct models of retinal computation.

Our lab is interested in the neuronal-glial interactions that underlie the development and function of the mammlian central nervous system.

My lab addresses two distinct questions. That is, how can precise patterns of neuronal connections be genetically programmed during development, and how, once formed, can such circuits be used to mediate complex visual behaviors? Using the fruit fly visual system as a model, we employ genetic approaches to manipulate the functions of genes and neurons. From this, we infer specific developmental roles for particular molecules, and infer specific computational roles for individual neurons.

Attention allows us to selectively process the most important information in the sensory environment. I study how gamma-band (25-140Hz) oscillations that occur in brain circuits during attention shape behavior. I study the mechanisms and role of these oscillations in the optic tectum (superior colliculus), a midbrain structure involved in attention, sensory processing and gaze control, using a combination of recordings in live animals, in brain slices, and computational modeling.

Our lab studies the underlying neurobiology of autism and other neuro-developmental disorders. We are particularly interested in understanding how electrical activity and calcium signals control the development of the brain and how this is altered in children with autism spectrum disorders. We are also developing new tools to study and repair the developing brain.

My laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the organization of cortical circuits important for spatial navigation and memory. We are particularly focused on medial entorhinal cortex, where many neurons fire in spatially specific patterns and thus offer a measurable output for molecular manipulations. We combine electrophysiology, genetic approaches and behavioral paradigms to unravel the mechanisms and behavioral relevance of non-sensory cortical organization. Our fi..

Cellular mechanisms of spatial attention and learning, studied in the central nervous system in birds, using behavioral, systems, cellular and molecular techniques.

We are currently investigating mechanisms involved in synaptic transmission and synaptogenesis using electron microscope tomography in ways that provide in situ 3D structural information at macromolecular resolution.

We study neural mechanisms of visual-motor integration and the neural basis of cognition (e.g. attention). We study the activity of single neurons in visual and motor structures within the brain, examine how perturbing that activity affects neurons in other brain structures, and also how it affects the perceptual and

Neural processes that mediate visual perception and visually-based decision making. Influence of reward history on decision making.

My primary interest is in understanding the molecular and cellular underpinnings of psychiatric diseases of developmental origin, in particular autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenias. I use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from patients to identify cellular phenotypes associated with these diseases. I am also working on developing reliable assays for probing neuronal phenotypes in vitro and optimizing high-throughput drug screening in iPSC-derived neurons from patients.

We study the neural mechanisms of learning, using a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational approaches. The model system we use is a form of cerebellum-dependent learning that regulates eye movements.

I am interested in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying spatial attention. In particular, how do animals balance the desire for focus and the need to maintain sensitivity to their environment? This balance is disrupted in numerous psychiatric disorders. I study the role of midbrain structures in balancing voluntary and reflexive attention.

The goal of research in the Shatz Laboratory is to discover how brain circuits are tuned up by experience during critical periods of development both before and after birth by elucidating cellular and molecular mechanisms that transform early fetal and neonatal brain circuits into mature connections. To discover mechanistic underpinnings of circuit tuning, the lab has conducted functional screens for genes regulated by neural activity and studied their function for vision, learning and memory.

Prof. Shenoy's group conducts neuroscience and neuroengineering research to better understand how the brain controls movement, and to design medical systems to assist those with movement disabilities.