Neural circuits for pup-directed behavior (Dulac…Wu, Science 2014)
Plasticity and Modulation in Social Behavior
Innate social behaviors are thought to be orchestrated by hard-wired circuits and released by specific external stimuli. But these circuits are subject to flexible control, as an individual must update its behavior based on its own state and the actions of others in order to survive and reproduce. Using parenting and other innate social behaviors, we are investigating how they are flexibly modulated by the animal’s state, experience and environmental factors using circuit and genomic approaches.
Flexible Decision-Making
Our cognitive functions rest on a capacity for flexible, contextual decision making. In many brain disorders, these capacities are disrupted. How does the brain allow flexible decision-making and continual learning while maintaining stable behavior? How do neurons of distinct cell identities connect and interact to produce network dynamics to support higher-level cognition? We combine systems, genomic, and computational approaches to answer these questions using a powerful delayed match to sample (DMS) paradigm we developed in mice.
A mouse performing the DMS task (See the description on youtube.com)
Decision-Making in Collective Behavior
Social animals, compelled by a combination of social and ecological pressure, frequently engage in collective behavior such as foraging, migration, and governance. These behaviors are often orchestrated by complex social relationships to establish and enforce norms, allocate resources, and resolve conflicts. Deficits in forming and maintaining these relationships also profoundly impact the daily lives of individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism. We are developing novel paradigms in mice to study the neural dynamics underlying collective behavior using next-generation systems and computational methods.
Methodology
We apply a variety of modern neuroscience tools including single-cell omics, calcium imaging, electrophysiology, optogenetics, quantitative behavioral analysis, and computational modeling. We bridge the worlds of molecular, circuit, and systems neuroscience to identify common mechanisms across time scales supporting social cognition.
