The overall goal of our research is to study the neural basis of vision: how neurons in the brain respond to visual stimuli; what neural circuits give rise to such response properties; and how these circuits are established during development. We use mice and tree shrews as models and take an integrative approach that combines in vivo physiology, two-photon imaging, genetics, behavioral, and computational techniques. Our research is mainly along two directions.
1. We made a paradigm-shifting discovery regarding how sensory experience shapes visual functions in the cortex during a critical period in early life.
2. We have carried out a series of functional studies of the mouse superior colliculus, helping to establish it as a new model for studying visual information processing and sensorimotor transformation.
