
Understanding and Controlling Circuit Function through Plasticity
The moment-to-moment population activity of neurons underlies the milieu of cognitive states that govern our day-to-day lives. However, at a slower time scale, this activity also drives plastic changes to the physical connectivity within our brains.
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This means that the activity states within the brain provide both a feedforward drive of our cognitive functions, and feedback modulation of the circuits that generate the same activity.​​​
This complexity serves as the starting point for our work in the Bharioke Lab.
We wish to understand:
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​The principles underlying neuronal circuit plasticity
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The relationships between population activity and cognitive function​
with the ultimate goal of understanding how to change circuit activity
and, thereby, to plastically vary cognitive function.

To answer these questions, we utilize two-photon microscopy to perform all-optical interrogations of cortical circuits, manipulating a subset of neurons within the circuit, while recording from others. We utilize both regular two-photon microscopes and cutting-edge acousto-optic two-photon microscopes to image neurons throughout the depth of cortex. ​

Femtosecond laser path for a two-photon microscope


Acousto-optic imaging from neurons throughout cortex
We perform these interrogations from embryonic development onwards, utilizing both novel methods like in vivo para-uterine imaging, as well as more traditional head-fixed imaging. We combine these optical approaches with computational simulations to build models of cortical function, enabling us to predictably manipulate the function of cortical circuits.
Imaging from embryonic cortical neurons
