Research areas

Whilst exploring the world around us, we need to learn what aspects of our behaviour lead to favourable outcomes, selecting them over other options that may be detrimental to performance. To do this, our behaviour needs to be flexible so that we can explore and interact with our environment, learning the relationship between its various properties, our actions within it, and the corresponding outcomes. I am interested in how this learning occurs and how information about features of our environment are used to guide our actions. To do this, I record single-unit activity and local field potentials from non-human primates using high-channel electrodes, whilst monkeys do cognitive/behavioral tasks. I am now also working on utilizing novel optogenetic techniques in my approach.

Statistical learning

The brain constantly makes predictions about sensory experiences by integrating past experiences (feedback) with new sensory information (feedforward) to create internal models of the world around us. When actual sensory information doesn’t match these models, the brain generates prediction errors that help it learn unexpected features, and improve future predictions. Previous work has revealed mechanisms behind these processes, particularly in audition and vision, but the exact interactions between brain circuits are still unclear. Additionally, many studies don’t directly test how different brain areas influence each other. My work aims to address these gaps using laminar neurophysiology.

Monitoring time and uncertain events

Our environment is rarely stable and actions that may be useful in one context may not be useful in another. As such, in new or unfamiliar environments, we have a greater uncertainty as to which choices will lead to positive or negative outcomes. Until recently, the neuronal mechanisms that could underlie such uncertainty-guided control have been largely unknown. Furthermore, when considering how to act in an environment, we must not only plan “what” to do but also “when” to do it. By monitoring our environment, we can learn regularities in our world that allow us generate predictions about when future events may occur. We can then use this information to adjust our planned actions in an attempt to increase the probability of generating the appropriate behaviour at the appropriate time.

Cognitive control & response inhibition

Cognitive control is vital when there are multiple competing demands or when we have automatic or learned actions that may interfere with our goal. Stopping these inappropriate actions before their execution is achieved through response inhibition. Successful response inhibition not only requires the recruitment of control processes in reaction to a salient event but also involves monitoring and adjusting actions in line with the demands of the environment.