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Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics

Exploring the brain’s activity, at the level of individual neurons and the whole brain, to reveal how we interpret our environments to make decisions.

 

Goals and Approach

Researcher at the Allen Institute for Neural DynamicsHow do our brains understand the world around us to guide fundamental human behaviors? To answer these questions, scientists at the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics are analyzing and tracing the path of neural signals in neural circuits cascading and interacting across the whole brain and body. Their approach is focused on how the brain works rather than what it is made of at a cellular or molecular level. Teams of researchers working collaboratively develop next-generation neuro-technologies that capture massive amounts of data that are shared with the wider scientific community. The goal is to catalyze scientific discovery that will lead to treatments and therapies for brain disorders.

We aim to discover how neurons’ activity – and changes in that activity – allow the brain to perform complex but fundamental computations and drive flexible behaviors.

Our experiments and open resources will shed light on behavior, memory, how we handle uncertainty and risk, how we and other animals chase rewards, and how some or all of these complicated cognitive functions go awry in neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, ADHD, or addiction.

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The electrophysiology group aims to monitor and manipulate spikes with high spatiotemporal specificity in order to open up new avenues for understanding the neural underpinnings of behavior.

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Aiming to generate comprehensive descriptions of neuronal types and examine connectivity at various scales in defined cell types.

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Measuring neural circuit functions using light-sensitive molecules.

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A platform for high-throughput and reproducible neurophysiology, openly available to run experiments for external scientists.

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Creating a best-in-class open, reproducible, and scalable platform for scientific data storage, analysis, and sharing.

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Investigating how the nervous system learns and makes decisions in dynamic environments.

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Sculpted by evolution, the brain’s amazing, complex neural circuits produce our behavior within the world. We aim to discover how information processed by networks of neurons generates our thoughts, emotions and actions.

Learn more about our other Science Programs.

Allen Institute for Immunology

Working to understand the delicate balancing act of the human immune system—how it works when we’re healthy, and what goes wrong in disease.

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Allen Institute for Cell Science

Understanding human cells holistically and dynamically to predict and understand human health and disease.

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