Christine Constantinople

Circuitry underlying decision-making

The Constantinople lab is interested in the mechanisms by which neural circuits compute and represent cognitive variables subserving decision-making. Our ultimate goal is to answer a major question in systems neuroscience: How do the task-relevant responses of neurons in decision-related circuits arise from the synaptic inputs those neurons receive. We are particularly interested in value-based decision-making behaviors, and our long-term vision will be to understand the synaptic and circuit basis of neural computations guiding economic decision-making. We use high-throughput training of rats to combine sophisticated behavioral paradigms with large-scale electrophysiology, imaging, and circuit perturbation techniques including pharmacology and optogenetics. In parallel, we also use in vivo whole-cell recordings and paired recording experiments to characterize the connectivity and circuit logic of brain regions under study in the lab. Rich behavioral paradigms amenable to detailed behavioral modeling and detailed circuit experiments are at the core of all projects in the lab.