Heimel group

General description research

The Heimel lab investigates the neural mechanisms underlying innate behaviors, in particular those driven by vision. Defensive behaviors induced by seeing threats, and approaches to visually detected targets, driven by curiosity or appetite, are two examples actively being investigated. The group is interested in where in the brain innate behavioral responses are modified by experience. To investigate these mechanism, the groups uses mice as model organism and a wide range of experimental techniques to record and manipulate neural activity at the cellular level during behavior. Brain areas, underlying these innate fear and approach behaviors, that are actively being explored by Heimel and his team are the visual cortex and thalamus, the superior colliculus, the zona incerta, hypothalamus and the periaqueductal gray. The group is also interested in how neuromodulation influences these behaviors.

Psychiatric symptoms (or disorders) the group is interested in 

Fear and anxiety disorders are closely related to the innate defensive behavior that we study. In healthy animals, defensive response reduce in response to repeated exposure to threats that turn out to be innocuous. We are interested to learn why in some anxiety disorders, such as specific phobias or posttraumatic stress disorder, this habituation does not occur. Novelty seeking and exploration is also an innate behavior, involving the zona incerta, among other areas. We are interested why in some psychiatric disorders, such as depression, there is a reduction in novelty seeking.

Technical approaches

The Heimel lab uses high-density electrophysiology (Neuropixels), and imaging of genetically encoded fluorescent sensors in mice. These techniques allow recording the neural activity and neural modulation (e.g. dopamine) of hundreds of neurons of specific populations in specific areas during perception and behavior, in response to stimuli with an innate positive or negative valence. In addition to measuring activity, the lab also uses optogenetics and chemogenetics to manipulate the activity of brain areas in a cell-specific manner, during perception and behavior.

Keywords: Innate behaviors, Vision, Fear, Curiosity, Approach behavior, Habituation, Deep brain structures (in particular, Superior colliculus, Zona Incerta, Brainstem, Thalamus, Hypothalamus), Visual cortex

List of  the matching research domains 
Negative Valence: Acute Threat “Fear”, Potential Threat “Anxiety”, Sustained Threat
Positive Valence: Reward Responsiveness
Cognitive Systems: Attention, Perception
Social Processes: Social Communication
Arousal and Regulatory Systems: Arousal
Sensorimotor Systems: Motor Actions, Innate Motor Patterns