Mehran Ahmadlou - Neuroscience - 'The Neuromodulatory Control of Perception'

The Neurobehavior Lab run by Mehran Ahmadlou will, in collaboration with the Bruno lab, investigate how subcortical hubs orchestrate the balance between multiple neuromodulatory systems to shape sensory perception and behavioural responses. Neuromodulators such as acetylcholine, noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine exert widespread influence on cortical circuits, dynamically shifting cortical neurodynamics to regulate attention, arousal, and decision-making. However, how different neuromodulatory systems are coordinated by subcortical structures to tune cortical computations during perception remains poorly understood. Using Neuropixels recording, miniaturized two-photon imaging, optogenetics, and chemogenetics in head-fixed and freely moving mice, we will dissect how subcortical neuromodulatory hubs interact with cell-type-specific cortical microcircuits to guide perception under varying sensory and behavioural demands. Computational modelling of cortical dynamics will further link neuromodulatory activity to changes in network states and perceptual outcomes. This work will provide a mechanistic understanding of how neuromodulatory systems collectively sculpt perception and behaviour, and how their dysfunction may contribute to neuropsychiatric conditions such as attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia.