AER Lab

EEG and EMG recordings from freely-behaving animals

EEG spectrogram during a wake-to-NREM sleep transition

GCaMP6s expression in GABAergic neurons of the LH

Fiber photometry track above the VTA

GABAergic (green) neurons in the VTA are intermingled with TH+ (red) neurons

Simultaneous EEG/EMG and fiber photometry recordings during different arousal states

Circuit tracing using rAAV2-retro GFP identifies neurons projecting to sleep/wake regulatory regions

Circuit tracing using cTRIO technology identifies inputs to sleep/wake regulatory circuits

Transiently activated neurons identified using Fos CreER::Cre-dep tdTomato mice

eYFP (green) expression in TH+ neurons (red) of the VTA

Our lab is broadly interested in the link between brain and behavior, with a particular focus on sleep. Several research directions currently explored in the lab include: understanding how the brain transitions into sleep at the moment-to-moment level; examining the intersection between social behavior and sleep in both typical conditions and autism-model mice; and investigating the role of neuromodulation during sleep in memory consolidation and sensory processing. We use a range of approaches including behavioral assays, in vivo electrophysiological recordings, imaging techniques, chemogenetic and optogenetic circuit manipulations, and machine learning tools.