Overview
The cerebellum contains a staggering 80% of the neurons in your brain. It is critically important for motor coordination, but until not so long ago, it was hard to imagine that it did much else. Mechanistic and clinical evidence has linked the cerebellum to cognitive, social, affective and even language processing. The overarching theme of this lab is to determine how the cerebellum does this, with a particular emphasis on its role on affect and motivation.
Cerebellum and Emotion
Cerebellar dysfunction causes of a slew of symptoms and disorders, ranging from schizophrenia to autism to broad-ranging emotional disturbances. But how does a motor structure play a role in emotion? Psychology has given us a simple framework to understand emotion by breaking it into two axis: arousal and valence. We believe that by understanding how the cerebellum contributes to those two axis, we can begin to understand how it plays a role in emotion.
Cerebellar Modulation of the Forebrain
The cerebellum does not act in isolation, but rather relies on its connectivity with other brain structures to influence behavior. The principle neurons of the cerebellum (Purkinje Cells, PCs) interact with the forebrain through two general output channels: the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) and the parabrachial nuclei (PBN). Through those output channels the cerebellum gains immediate access to most of the forebrain. The details of these specific projections range from well-described, to not described at all. Understanding these output pathways will give insights in how the cerebellum modulates motor and nonmotor behaviors.
Cerebellum and Visceral Function
Emotional responses are expressed in a variety of ways. Before anger erupts into bouts of violence or elation leads to a wagging tail, the brain triggers a number of visceral responses like a change in heart rate, muscle tone, breathing rate, or pupil dilation. Many cerebellar pathways to modulate these functions have been proposed, but few have been conclusively determined.
Toolbox
The lab is built with modularity and flexibility in mind. We believe that the question should drive the tool, and finding innovative solutions for technical limitations is half the fun of doing science. The lab is immediately equipped to do most forms of slice electrophysiology, head-restrained/awake in vivo physiology, widefield 1P imaging, behavior tracking, and optogenetic approaches. We also have extensive experience with anatomical tracing, imaging, and annotation of large datasets. Most importantly, we enjoy collaborating with the many other groups that have greater expertise than our own.