Functional imaging of unique neurons in mouse visual cortex

Diversity is one of the most highly evaluated value in our workplace to maximize its performance. Diversity in neural cells (neurons) may be similarly beneficial for our brain, but little is known about how important it is in neural processing. For instance, why and how are individual neurons different from neurons in the same cortical area found nearby? How does the functional diversity impact the overall neural processing in the network? This project addresses these questions, by first performing screening of how individual neurons behave in vivo, and then targeting individual unique neurons for further detailed anatomical and functional analyses. By investigating functional diversity in a living brain, we gain new insight into how the diversity contributes to physiological brain functions. Moreover, it can potentially lead us to a new strategy for neurological diseases