OPTOMOT · Optical dissection of cortical motor circuits

The motor cortex plays a key role in learning and orchestrating fine voluntary movements, which dominate many aspects of our daily lives.Despite decades of research, considerable controversy remains over the functional organization of this forebrain area and its role in goal directed action. In this project we will combine cutting edge in vivo two-photon imaging, decoding methods and optogenetic manipulations to study different motor related circuits with single cell resolution. This approach will provide us, literally, unprecedented insights into the activity dynamics of large cortical networks during goal directed action. We expect that these experiments in rodents will not only help us understand some of the basic neuronal circuit mechanisms that govern our own actions, but they can potentially pave the way towards more targeted strategies for neuroprosthetic devices.""