Sensory Systems

BIOGRAPHY

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Circuits of early visual system and visual perception
The main goal of our research of is to understand the function of the circuits in the early visual system. Specifically, we concentrate on the visual thalamus and on the early visual areas of the cerebral cortex. We aim to relate activity in these areas to visual perception and visually-guided behaviour. In the laboratory, we measure the responses of neurones in these areas by employing a combination of parallel electrical recordings and optical recordings. We aim to explain how the responses of these neurons depend on visual stimuli and on each other's activity. By understanding the basic computations performed by the circuits of the early visual system, we hope to identify fundamental properties of neural computation and its relation to perception and behaviour.


EDUCATION:
•1990, Laurea in Mathematical Physics, University of Rome
•1995, PhD in Neural Science, New York University
•1996, Postdoctoral fellow, Northwestern University