Dynamics of targeted cortical ensembles in attention-guided behavior

Large-scale efforts to classify neurons along genetic, morphological, and electrical axes have revealed the existence of dozens of unique neuron types in the rodent brain. Whether these distinct cell subtypes also serve functionally divergent roles in animal perception and behavior remains a central question in neuroscience. Using targeted anatomical tracing and multipopulation voltage imaging during attentional paradigms, we will explore:

• how attention alters the endogenous activation patterns of cortical subtypes in the visual cortex,

• how the dynamic relationships between subtypes change to preferentially enhance the spiking of some neurons while suppressing that of others, and

• how long-range information is integrated with local circuit dynamics to control behavioral outcomes.