Research aims


How do we listen? Hearing describes how we sense sound, yet it remains unclear how the brain enables listening. Asked another way, which neural mechanisms underlie how we perceive, remember, and attend to sound? By combining methods in neurophysiology, animal behavior, and data analysis, the Francis lab aims to clarify the neural mechanisms of listening and advance our understanding of how brain function relates to behavior. Current research investigates the neural mechanisms underlying auditory perception,  multisensory integration, and predictive coding of sensory events.

METHODS

The Francis lab studies cortical activity and auditory task performance in mice. We use genetic tools that enable imaging and optical manipulation of the brain. We collect neural data using multi-channel electrophysiology, 2-photon imaging, and widefield imaging—each integrated with a behavioral interface for operant conditioning (positive reinforcement). We build and operate automated systems for operant conditioning in the mouse home-cage. These methods produce rich datasets, which we then analyze to describe how cortical mechanisms enable listening during auditory task performance. 

Lab members

Nikolas Francis, Ph.D.Principal InvestigatorDepartment of BiologyBrain and Behavior InstituteEmail: cortex [at] umd dot edu
Tausif Khan, B.S.Graduate StudentDepartment of BiologyData Science and Analytics 

Gabrielle StephensUndergraduate StudentNeuroscience Major
Jonathan DinhUndergraduate StudentNeuroscience Major