Research

Decision-making behavior in rodents and humans

Measuring perceptual decisions: We train rodents and humans to judge ambiguous, time-varying stimuli. Stimuli consist of visual flashes, clicks, or both. Subjects report whether the repetition rate of the stimulus is high or low compared to an abstract, memorized standard. To determine whether subjects benefit from multisensory integration, we compare the speed and accuracy of the single sensory and the multisensory conditions.

Measure and manipulate neural responses

We measure the responses of cortical neurons during decision-making. By analyzing how the firing rates of single neurons and neuron populations evolve over time, we gain insight into the neural mechanisms that support perceptual decision-making.

Analyses to understand population-level responses

We analyze how population activity unfolds over time and allows the animal to computer parameters of interest. We borrow tools from dynamical systems and machine learning to evaluate population activity.