email mainen@cshl.edu, phone (516) 367-8822, fax (516) 367-8866

My laboratory is interested in the neural basis of mammalian behavior and cognition. We focus on understanding the nature of the electrical activity of single neurons, the currency through which genes and molecules express themselves in brain function. We study neural coding, the problem of how information is represented in neuronal spike trains. We view this problem in the broader frameworks of neuroeconomics and learning theory: how do animals select appropriate actions on the basis of experience, motivation and sensory information? Thus, we are trying to relate the function of neural circuits to behavioral decisions. We are especially interested in the temporal coordination of activity between neurons and between regions of the brain that is necessary for coherent brain function and directed action. Our principal experimental technique is chronic multi-electrode recordings in rodents performing olfactory discrimination tasks. We use this approach to study both single neuron correlates of behavior and correlations in activity across neural ensembles in relation to behavior. Currently, our concentration is on olfactory sensory areas, prefrontal cortex, and the serotonergic brainstem nuclei. Finally, we also use intrinsic optical imaging to study the link between electrical activity (information) and metabolic activity (energy) in the brain, and two-photon imaging to read out neural activity at the single cell and ensemble level. Our long-term goal is to apply these approaches and insights toward an understanding of the neural basis of human logic and reasoning, with the goal of elucidating brain circuit dysfunction underlying mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Selected Publications