Our research is motivated by the observation that a big explanatory gap exists between models of brain function at different levels of inquiry (i.e. from micro- to meso- and macro-scale). This knowledge gap prevents a reliable mechanistic interpretation of whole-brain imaging findings in human brain research, especially those revealing atypical or aberrant patterns of brain function and connectivity in developmental disorders.
Our research is designed to bridge this explanatory gap. One way to achieve this goal is by implementing whole-brain neuroimaging methods in physiologically accessible species, like the laboratory mouse. This approach rests on the combined use of neuroimaging methods widely used in human research (such as fMRI) with targeted perturbational approaches (e.g. transgenics, chemogenetics, otpogenetics) that together can be used to bridge investigational scales and establish causal relationships between specific neural events and patterns of brain connectivity.