We study the biological basis of learning and decision-making by monitoring, manipulating, and modeling neural activity
How do we remember something good and pursue it? How do we remember something bad and avoid it?
How do we make decisions and commit actions in complicated situations (e.g., things are uncertain)?
What are the computational causes and consequences of brain disorders?
What can we learn about how the brain works from artificial intelligence?
We address these questions by monitoring and manipulating neuronal activities in rodents🐁, NHPs🐵, and artificial neural network agents💻. We use molecular, electrophysiological, and computational methods to understand how neural activity underlies cognition and behavior.
If we figure out the essence of the brain, we can understand ourselves better - the origin of consciousness and intelligence. It will also contribute to developing treatments for mental illnesses such as addiction. Furthermore, we may apply the neural mechanisms of intelligent behaviors to improve artificial intelligence technologies.
Recent news
Oct 7, 2024 - Mijoo gave a talk “A derivative-like dopaminergic computation across valences” in Nanosymposium at Society for Neuroscience (SfN) 2024. Great job!
Sep 24, 2024 - Our manuscript entitled “A Normative Framework Dissociates Need and Motivation in Hypothalamic Neurons” was accepted by Science Advances. This was a joyful collaboration with Dr. Hyung Jin Choi’s lab. Congratulations Jongwon and all the authors!
May 22, 2024 - Hyein, Yeowon, Ben, Jongheon, and HyungGoo submitted our second application for registering a domestic patent entitled “Reinforcement learning method in the virtual environment with shared memory”. Fingers crossed!
Feb 2, 2024 - Jongheon was awarded (장려상) in the Korean Institute of Information Scientists and Engineers (정보과학회) for his undergrad work. Congrats!
Topics related to what we do in the lab.
Lab introduction video (Korean ver.)
