Neural Circuit dynamics &
Behaviour
Neuroethology refers to the study of animal behaviour and its underlying neuronal mechanisms. Aiming to unravel how the nervous system processes cognitive functions and controls animal behaviour, the laboratory uses the zebrafish and the Astyanax mexicanus larvae as the experimental models and a multidisciplinary approach, including two-photon calcium imaging and light-sheet microscopy (SPIM) to monitor the dynamics of large neuronal networks and even the whole brain, behavioural essays, optogenetics to monitor and manipulate the activity of specific neurons or entire circuits, and mathematical methods for the analysis of high-dimensional large datasets.It is the combination of disciplines, and the use of an intact behaving animal model that enables deciphering complex neuroethological questions such as perception of time, decision making, sensory perception, the functional role of the brain's intrinsic dynamics, and the evolution of sensory processing.