Klavir Lab: Neural Circuits of Behavior
Research
We are interested in the way behavior is controlled and executed by the brain circuitry.
How does the brain choose one behavioral program over the other? and what drives it to do so?
Long-Term Changes in Top-Down Control of Behavior Following Adversity
A single intense adverse event could create a long-term change in a vast spectrum of behaviors. What are the neural mechanisms which convey this emotional information and how is it introduced to different behavioral systems? This is the question asked by several projects running in the lab: a. The long-term changes in defensive behaviors following adversity - This project is concerned with changes in threat response and filter mechanisms. Changes as seen on the extreme side of the spectrum in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). b. The long-term changes in action control following adversity - This project is concerned with the way the system selects known actions when anxious or afraid. Do we become more habitual or more attentive when threatened? Changes in action control under anxiety could lead to extremities such as compulsive behaviors. c. The long-term changes in innate behaviors following adversity - This project is concerned with fear and anxiety related changes in innate “hardwired” behaviors such as grooming behavior. Examining those changes might give us a glimpse into a broad spectrum of symptomatology related to repetitive behaviors and exacerbated by anxiety such as in OCD, Tourette syndrome or tics.
The Role of Dopamine in Behavior and Action Selection
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter heavily studied for its crucial role in reward, motivation, pleasure, reinforcement learning and in Psychiatric disorders such as addictions and schizophrenia but also in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. The main source of Dopamine is in the midbrain in two areas – the Ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNc) from which several pathways to different parts of the striatum and the cortex conduct different aspects of its different roles. In the lab we seek to understand the role of dopamine as a function of the different pathways it is involved in: a. The role of dopamine in its different pathways in selecting and chunking repetitive innate behaviors such as grooming. This might give us a glimpse into a broad spectrum of symptomatology related to controlling and losing control over behaviors as in OCD, Tourette syndrome or tics. b. The role of dopamine in agency, effect and the feeling of control- One thing that makes leaving organisms unique is that they are designed to interact with the world. This calls for a specialized mechanism that registers that actions on the world were in fact effective. In this project we seek to find the role of dopamine in this basic mechanism motivating organisms to interact with the world.
Neural Changes Caused by Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a complex and debilitating condition characterized by persistent discomfort that lasts for weeks, months, or even years. Unlike acute pain, which serves as a warning signal of tissue damage or injury, chronic pain often persists long after the initial injury has healed. The main challenge of this project is to uncover the neural changes stemming from the initial injury, leading to the different adverse effects on all physical and mental aspects of well-being.
