Halassa Lab

Research Overview & Mission

Our lab combines parametric behavioral tasks with physiological, genetic and optical manipulations to understand core circuit mechanisms and computational principles of cognitive function. We focus on thalamocortical interactions that implement attention, executive control and decision making. We have traditionally used the mouse as a model system for studying goal-directed attention, which has enabled our biggest contribution to the scientific community: identifying a precise non-relay function for the thalamus. We are currently extending this work by taking a comparative approach, examining commonalities and differences of thalamocortical function across laboratory animal models. In collaboration, we are leveraging our basic research program to applications relevant for human health on one end, and to artificial intelligence research on another.

The overarching goal of the lab is to establish a computational theory for the cognitive thalamus. Our  guiding hypothesis is that the mediodorsal thalamus gates inputs within and across frontal cortical networks to enable flexible behavior. We hope that this knowledge would provide practical applications in two separate domains: decision-making abnormalities in human clinical psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, and flexible reasoning in artificial intelligence.