Advances in color science: from retina to behavior.

My laboratory studies how the retina processes visual scenes and transmits this information to the brain.  We use multi-electrode arrays to record the activity of hundreds of retina neurons simultaneously in conjunction with transgenic mouse lines and chemogenetics to manipulate neural circuit function. We are interested in three major areas. First, we work to understand how neurons in the retina are functionally connected. Second we are studying how light-adaptation and circadian rhythms alter visual processing in the retina. Finally, we are working to understand the mechanisms of retinal degenerative conditions and we are investigating potential treatments in animal models.

My research focuses on the mechanisms underlying vision, with an emphasis on the signals mediating color perception. This research is focused especially on the links between color and form vision, how these signals are transformed from the retina to early visual cortex, and the representation and functional architecture of these chromatic signals.

I am also exploring how facial skin coloration in humans is modulated with hormone changes, and how these color vision cues are used behaviorally.

In addition, through a Bass Connections: Brain & Society team, I am part of a collaborative project exploring the intersection of visual art and visual neuroscience. For this project, we use eye tracking to explore how human observers look at artistic depictions of faces and face-like configurations to understand more about how global and local features contribute to how we see others, how these processes unfold over time and with experience, how they are impacted in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and how this might inform clinical diagnosis and assessment of response to therapy and treatment.