Hemanth Mohan

The Mohan Lab is focused on understanding the neural circuit mechanisms that govern the transformation of sensation to action to drive goal directed behaviors. Sensory inputs from peripheral organs, such as the skin and eyes, are relayed through neurons that synapse at various levels of the nervous system, including the spinal cord, brainstem, thalamus, and ultimately, the cortex. Within cortical circuits, these sensory signals integrate with higher-order cognitive information to generate motor commands depending on the goal and environmental demand. Neurons in the cortex perform these computations by communicating with other regions across the brain through axonal projections. These communication pathways process specialized information depending on the regions they connect to and the required computations. Despite advances in understanding these circuits, the neural code, network dynamics, and computational mechanisms that underlie their interactions remain elusive.