Kate Hong, PhD, ScB

One of the most important functions of the brain is its ability to sense and rapidly respond to ongoing stimuli in the environment. Sensory information is distributed throughout multiple interconnected areas of the brain, but the precise identity of these circuits, and how they orchestrate sensory perception remain unknown. In order to understand even the simplest forms of sensory-guided behaviors, it is imperative to elucidate the mechanisms by which multiple, connected areas cooperate to mediate behavior.

The main questions that motivate our research are:
(i) How does the cortex modulate sensory information in downstream subcortical regions during sensation that guides behavioral decisions?
(ii) What are the mechanisms by which highly interconnected brain regions are affected by, and recover from, cortical injury or stroke?

Our research program combines animal behavior, high-speed imaging, motion tracking, in vivo electrophysiology, and optogenetic methods, using the mouse whisker system as a model. We aim to determine how cortical and subcortical activity cooperate to mediate sensory-motor transformations in parallel, providing a foundation for understanding behavioral deficits and recovery mechanisms associated with cortical injury.