Alfonso Apicella, PhD
Associate Professor
The goal of Dr. Apicella's lab is to reveal the neural basis of perception. More specifically, he wants to understand exactly how cortical microcircuits process sensory information to drive behavior. To assess how populations of neurons concur to encode information, generate perceptions, and execute behavioral decisions requires working at both the cellular and system level. Towards this goal, by turning neurons "ON" and "OFF" using optogenetic and pharmacogenetic approaches, the lab can monitor and then manipulate specific subsets of neurons in awake behaving mice.