Extracellular electrophysiology

A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain processes sensory information to guide perception and behavior. To address this, we use high-density electrode probes (Neuropixels) which can sample the activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously. By pairing these recordings with precisely timed auditory stimuli and carefully designed behavioral tasks, we can examine how neural populations encode and process sound in real time. Our current research focuses on understanding how spatial information (such as the location of a sound source) is represented and transformed along the auditory pathway.

This approach is especially valuable because it allows us to directly link patterns of neural activity to perceptual decisions. By observing how large networks of neurons respond during active listening, we can identify the circuits and coding strategies involved in sound localisation. These insights are critical for understanding how auditory processing breaks down in hearing disorders and age-related hearing loss, and may ultimately guide the development of more effective interventions.