Goals

Our underlying mission is to collect single-cell resolution data from large ensembles of neurons distributed across the brain during complex but standardized tasks. We firmly believe that this is the best strategy to unlock the secrets of the brain.

Specific Goals:

1. Accelerate large-scale data acquisition from animal models at behavioural, circuit and cellular levels.
2. Foster the development of novel methodologies for the analysis of large data-sets from animal experimentation.
3. Develop innovative bio-informatics technologies to allow effective and bidirectional knowledge translation from animal to human research.

Expert Investigators

We have a team of expert investigators in neuroscience, physiology, imaging technologies, physics, deep learning, and behavioural analyses.

State of the art technologies

Bussey-Saksida Touch Screen Systems

Bussey-Saksida Touch Screen System is an automated apparatus and method that uses a computer monitor to present stimuli, and an infra-red ‘touch-screen’ assembly with which an animal can register its response.  We have available a number of tests that can be run in this apparatus. These tests can be used to study reward learning, memory, perceptual discrimination, object-place associative learning, attention, impulsivity, compulsivity, extinction, simple Pavlovian conditioning, and other constructs.

In Vivo Calcium Imaging

Our miniature fluorescence microscope (Miniscope) is based on a design pioneered by Mark Schnitzer's Lab at Stanford and adopted as open-source by Daniel Arahoni and colleagues at UCLA. It uses wide-field fluorescence imaging to record neural activity in awake, freely moving mice.