The Hong Lab is interested in understanding the organization and function of neural circuits that underlie sensory-guided behaviors. Sensory information received from the environment is encoded by a series of neural circuits that must precisely coordinate their activity to generate an accurate perception of the world.

Using the mouse whisker system as a model for touch perception, we combine anatomy, electrophysiology, optogenetics, and animal behavior to investigate how tactile information is processed in the brain. In particular, we aim to establish how multiple areas of the brain dynamically orchestrate neural activity during active sensation. Furthermore, we seek to define the mechanisms by which subcortical areas are affected by, and recover from, cortical injury.