Simon Butt - Neuroscience - 'Emergent circuit properties of higher order cognition'

The lab is interested in the neurobiology of emergent higher order cognition across all levels of analysis. To date we have largely explored the contribution of locally projecting GABAergic interneurons to early sensory perception in somatosensory (Anastasiades et al., 2016; Baruchin et al., 2022; Ghezzi et al., 2021; Marques-Smith et al., 2016) and visual cortex (Ghezzi et al., in preparation). These studies have identified differences in the construction of formative circuits that mirror the requirements for early function. The lab is now interested in understanding how circuits are co-ordinated at the brain wide level from the molecular to systems level. To this end we are interested in attracting DPhil students who are keen to pursue individually tailored projects using advanced techniques from patch-seq to multi-photon imaging of neurotransmitter dynamics. We collaborate closely with other groups in the department, notably those of Prof. Armin Lak (prefrontal cortex function and behaviour) and Adam Packer (claustrum and advanced optical approaches). Students are welcome to contact Prof. Simon Butt to discuss further but are encouraged to read recent publications from the group and bring their own ideas.