The Isogai lab at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre investigates social behaviors as a fascinating model to delineate the links between genes, circuits and complex natural behaviors. We use molecular and systems neuroscience approaches to discover the molecular underpinnings of neural circuit functions and to resolve two major questions in neuroscience:
1) How are social cues, including pheromones, detected and processed in the brain?
2) How do genes control neural circuit homeostasis, modulation, and reprogramming?
We focus on developing cutting-edge methods that enable us to tackle these questions from unique perspectives. We thereby aim to attain a detailed understanding of the molecular and neural basis for how external stimuli impact the physiology and behavior of animals.