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
The goals of our lab are to:
1) Identify the neural underpinnings of pre-sleep behavior and sleep initiation.
2) Determine the functions of sleep in memory consolidation.
3) Reveal the neural basis for the need for prolonged physical touch.
4) Investigate the link between chronic stress and sleep disturbances.
To accomplish these, we combine innovative techniques to record and manipulate molecularly defined neuronal circuits in rodents, including TRAP, in vivo calcium imaging, fiber-photometry, optogenetics, chemogenetics, circuit tracing, with machine learning and behavioral manipulations
