The cerebral cortex is crucial for both basic and sophisticated cognitive functions, such as sensory perception, memory, language and abstract thinking. Sensing the external world and adapting to its constant changes is accomplished by the finely orchestrated activity of cortical circuits.

The fundamental circuit diagram of the cerebral cortex is overall conserved across mammals, including humans. Therefore, understanding the basic rules governing the assembly and function of cortical circuits is of great importance for both fundamental and clinical neuroscience.

Diversity is a hallmark of the cerebral cortex. Functionally different cortical areas harbor heterogeneous cortical networks that are formed by a spectacular diversity of neuronal subtypes. Even the myriad of synapses connecting different neurons exhibit specific molecular, physiological and plasticity fingerprints. How do cortical computations emerge from such an astonishing multi-scale diversity and produce specific behaviors?

We study how different cortical neuron types connect with one another and how the properties and plasticity of these connections underlie the orchestration of various cognition-relevant network activity. We also study how specific alterations of cortical circuits can contribute to the emergence of different brain diseases.

The lab combines a variety of experimental approaches including ex vivo and in vivo electrophysiology, imaging, behavioral analysis while probing specific cortical circuits, as well as anatomy, cellular and molecular biology.