Computational Neuroethology Lab

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The Computational Neuroethology lab investigates the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying natural social-sensory behaviors. We are interested in questions ranging from how neural circuits transform social cues into behavioral responses, what plasticity arises within those circuits as the meaning of social cues is acquired, and how that plasticity may be mediated by mechanisms driving social reward. We pursue these issues using two model systems where forms of learning occur in natural social contexts. The first is acoustic communication in mice, using a maternal model wherein mothers acquire recognition for the ultrasonic vocalizations of pups. The second system we study is social bonding in prairie voles.