Topic: behavioral assays

The lab of Vikram Gadagkar, Freeman Hrabowski Scholar at Columbia University, uses the songbird courtship system with computational, theoretical and experimental approaches to discover how brains evaluate self-generated behavior and the behavior of others, with relevance to disorders such as Parkinson's disease and autism. The Research Technician conducts behavioral assays and data processing, performs surgical manipulations and tissue collection under lab protocols, carries out histology (vibratome sectioning, immunohistochemistry, slide imaging), assists with bird colony care and supports ge

The secondary motor cortex (M2) of rodents appears as a highly integrative brain region, with functions beyond motor processing. It indeed features prefrontal-like thalamocortical connectivity, with prominent innervation from thalamic nuclei involved in adaptive decision-making, namely the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) and the ventral anterior/ventral lateral thalamic nuclei (VA/VL). To study the functional connectivity between the M2 and the thalamus, we performed tracing experiments and behavioral assays in rats. Through a classic retrograde tracing approach, we identified convergent pro