Xiong laboratory studies the neural mechanisms underlying auditory-guided behaviors. Dorsal striatum is a key brain region in sensory-guided behaviors including decision-making and learning. We initiated a series of investigations to determine how neural circuits connecting the auditory striatum, a posterior sub-region of the dorsal striatum, regulate auditory-guided behaviors including: 1) transformation from auditory cues to motor action; 2) modulation of attention and vigilance states on auditory processing; and 3) learning induced changes in the circuitry that enable the association between auditory cues and motor actions. We use interdisciplinary and state-of-the-art approaches including rodent behavioral paradigms, in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings, in vivo calcium imaging, and chemogenetic and optogenetic techniques to arrive at information about structure/function relationships that support auditory-cued behaviors at their highest levels.
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/gxlab/