The Pardi Lab

As soon as life begins, we start perceiving external stimuli and forming our impressions of the world. Accurate perception is essential for our survival and is affected in major neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the biological bases of adaptive perception are little understood. How do we make sense of the vast repertoire of stimuli that are captured by our sensory organs at every moment? The brain needs to put together the sensory information with its context, determined by our previous experiences stored in the form of memories.

We aim to identify key neuronal circuits for sensory perception, and find the mechanisms by which learning and disorders modify them, pointing to novel therapeutic targets.

Our approach relies in the combination of state-of-the-art in vivo and in vitro methods, including calcium imaging, electrophysiology, optogenetics and behaviour. We focus on auditory perception, commonly affected in a number of disorders.