From Genes and Neurons to Behavior
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Neural networks are made of connected neurons whose orchestrated activity generates complex behavioral outputs. But how does the collective activity of neurons generate meaning? Moreover, how gene expression programs shape neural activity and consequently behavior?
​To address these fundamental questions, we use C. elegans worms as the animal model system. With a fully-mapped wiring diagram of 302 neurons, and its compatibility with a myriad of molecular and genetic manipulations, C. elegans offer a unique opportunity to address such questions.
In the lab, we study these questions on multiple levels - from gene expression programs and functional dynamics in single neurons to computation in neural circuits and behavior. For this, we apply Systems Biology approaches combining experiments, modelling and theory.
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Current areas of interest:
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Memory formation, retrieval, and inheritance
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Neuro-developmental disorders
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Gut-Brain axis
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Decision making and Rationality (experiments and modeling)
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Computation in neural networks (experiments and modeling)
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Biotechnology: Genetic engineering of soil organisms for sensory applications
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