Title: Bridging Sensation and Motivation: Dual-Region Two-Photon Imaging of Cortical–Hypothalamic Circuits Underlying Caregiving Behavior

Understanding how the brain turns what we sense into what we do is one of the biggest questions in neuroscience. This is particularly important for social behaviors like parenting, where animals must quickly interpret cues – such as touch – and respond in the right way to care for their young. Although scientists have identified key parts of the brain involved, we still do not understand how these regions work together in real time to generate behavior.
This project focuses on two critical brain areas: one (somatosensory cortex) processes touch, and the other (medial preoptic area) helps initiate caregiving actions. We hypothesize that sensory information is first handled (encoded) in the outer layer of the brain (cortex) and then passed deeper into regions that create motivation and ultimately drive behavior. However, until now, it has not been possible to directly observe this process as it happens.
To solve this problem, we will develop a new advanced imaging platform that can record brain activity with high resolution across multiple regions at the same time, while animals behave naturally. Unlike current approaches which are restricted to a single region, our approach uses tiny, lightweight optical devices (two-photon fiberscopes), in conjunction with a novel design that minimizes mechanical constraints, to allow imaging without restricting animals’ movements. This will let us see how different parts of the brain coordinate during social interactions. By integrating this technology with precise neural manipulations, we will also be able to test how specific patterns of brain activity give rise to caregiving behaviors.
The work will establish a powerful and broadly applicable framework to study how the brain links sensation to action. In the long term, it could transform how we study complex behaviors and improve our understanding of brain function in natural, real-world conditions.