Research Focus

Behavioral choice depends on both current environment and previous experience. For example, the choice to initiate social contact may be influenced not only by who we encounter, but also by the outcomes of past encounters and perceived social rank. Our lab is interested in how social experience and internal state shapes sensory perception and social motivation in order to influence behavioral choice. We focus on understanding the interplay between circuit nodes in the brain’s “social decision-making network”, an evolutionarily conserved suite of brain areas in the hypothalamus, amygdala, and midbrain that process social-sensory information and drive social behaviors. We use genetic tools in mice in tandem with in vivo physiology and optical recording strategies to probe how activity in these networks changes as a function of experience, neuromodulatory, and hormonal influences.   

Related Links

• Falkner Lab