The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for high-level perception, learning, decision making, and movement. The cortex has multiple layers, and each layer is made up of different cell types that have distinct connectivity with other layers and the rest of the nervous system. Why did we evolve each of these layers? How do they improve human thinking and survival? How does dysfunction of specific cell types and layers produce psychiatric and neurological disorders?

Pyramidal neurons of many layers extend apical dendrites up to cortical layer 1 where they receive dense connections from other brain regions. Apical dendrites are likely an important “switchboard” by which cortical areas talk to one another. These structures are known to degenerate in animal models of memory disorders, like Alzheimer’s. We’re investigating the role of apical dendrites in behavior and learning using in vivo imaging techniques like two-photon microscopy.

Virtually every cortical area is associated with its own primary and high-order thalamic nuclei. While the primary thalamic nuclei are well understood to relay sensory information from sensory organs (like skin, eyes, ears, etc) to the cortex, they account for little of thalamus. The bulk of thalamus is comprised of high-order nuclei, whose functions have been elusive.