"Microcircuits in the visual cortex: how connectivity relates to function"

Dr. Mrsic-Flogel developed a two-photon microscopy technology that allowed him to record activity simultaneously from hundreds of neurons in visual cortex while showing different visual stimuli. He uses this technology to address 3 questions: 1) how cortical neuronal networks encode visual information, 2) how they become specialized for sensory processing during postnatal development, and 3) how experiences influence the structure and function of cortical circuits. The overall aim is to understand how circuits in the cerebral cortex process sensory information and how they adapt to an ever changing environment.