International Graduate School of Neuroscience

Research Interests

Cerebral lateralization, i.e. the dominance of one brain hemisphere for a specific function, is a core feature of neuronal information processing in the animal kingdom. Examples from various animal species indicate profound cognitive advantages when the brains exhibit a division of labor between the two cerebral hemispheres. In humans, atypical lateralization patterns are associated with mental disorders such as autism or schizophrenia. However, our understanding of how and why left-sided neuronal circuits operate differently from right-sided ones is still limited.

Basic research: We use the visual system of pigeons as a model to investigate the neuronal basis of cerebral asymmetry. In this system, behavioral lateralization can be linked to morphological left-right differences at both the individual and population level. Their development can be attributed to the influence of the epigenetic factor light.
Translational research: We are using a mouse model for schizophrenia to investigate whether cognitive impairments, which accompany schizophrenic symptoms, are related to disturbances in asymmetrical processing of spatial information and orientation performance.

We are conducting a series of studies to decipher how the brain develops a lateralized functional architecture from the cellular to the behavioral level. In particular, we are investigating the role of interhemispheric interactions and how modulation of the interhemispheric crosstalk affects cognitive function in pigeons, mice and humans. To this end, we combine behavioral, pharmacological and optogenetic approaches.