Group leader : Guy Bouvier

SensoMotion – Motion and Perception

In brief

How does our movement affect sensory processing and perception? As we move, our brain needs to continuously decide if the incoming sensory information was generated by our own actions, or some external change in the environment. The brain must distinguish if a sound or a visual cue has been generated ourself, or triggered by an incoming danger. Thus, to form an accurate representation of the world it is critical that the brain distinguishes between self- and externally-generated sensory stimuli. In other words, what we perceive is not necessarily what we see or hear, as the brain interprets sensory information by using our movement and position in space. Our lab aims at understanding the neuronal circuits and computations underlying sensory processing during self-motion, providing new insights into sensory integration during ethological behavior. To achieve this goal, we use cutting edge approaches that combines neuronal tracing, optogenetic manipulations, 2-photon imaging (calcium and voltage) and extracellular high-density silicon probe recordings in awake behaving mice, servo-controlled head motion, eye tracking, and theorical analysis.