Neurocircuitry of Sensory-guided motivated behaviors
The Lab
Here in the Wesson Lab we investigate the brain circuitry which allows for sensory-driven motivated behaviors. We specialize on a brain structure referred to as the Tubular Striatum, and in this structure we focus on how odors are processed and integrated within emotional and motivational brain circuitry and how this integration is directed out into brain regions which orchestrate behaviors. This line of questioning provides an ideal platform to test specific hypotheses regarding the neural basis of sensory dysfunction in neurological disorders, including addiction, wherein sensory processing is aberrant. To accomplish these major goals, we utilize a variety of methods ranging from multi-site electrophysiological recordings from defined brain structures in behaving animals simultaneous with optogenetic manipulations, and multisite fiber photometry with biosensors (calcium, dopamine, etc), 2-photon imaging in behaving animals, and custom-designed operant behavioral assays to tease apart cognitive states. We also use machine learning methods to capture relevant neural coding strategies and to identify behavioral motifs which distinguish behaviors.