Deciding whether or not to reach a target, or choosing which target to reach in the presence of multiple alternatives, require additional layers of cognitive control over spatiomotor transformations. These types of decisions are not simply driven by perceptual features of the target but also by our (possibly learned) expectations of what will happen once the target is reached. Moreover, in order to be effective, this level of cognitive control must operate in the same spatial reference frame as the action selection mechanisms that it oversees. In this project, the candidate will build on our previous work on the superior colliculus to assess the role of genetically defined collicular neurons as well as the extended cortical-collicular circuits in distinct aspects of cognitive control, from value allocation to decision making in space. The candidate will use cutting-edge methods to map and manipulate neural circuits in vivo and leverage non the novel behavioural assays and recording methods developed in the lab.

References

Laura Masullo, Letizia Mariotti, Nicolas Alexandre, Paula Freire-Pritchett, Jerome Boulanger and Marco Tripodi. (2019)
Genetically defined functional modules for spatial orienting in the mouse superior colliculus.
Current Biology, 29(17): 2892-2904.

Jonathan J. Wilson, Nicolas Alexandre, Caterina Trentin and Marco Tripodi. (2018)
Three-dimensional representation of motor space in the mouse superior colliculus.
Current Biology, 28, 1-12.

Ernesto Ciabatti, Ana González-Rueda, Letizia Mariotti, Fabio Morgese and Marco Tripodi. (2017)
Life-long genetic and functional access to neural circuits using Self-inactivating Rabies virus.
Cell, 170(2):382-392.