Our lab’s primary goal is to investigate how sensory information interacts with the internal dynamics of the forebrain, and how these processes are modulated by experience and internal states.
Our work spans three major areas:

Chemosensory computations: We demonstrated that zebrafish olfactory behavior exhibits individual variability and that odor sampling through both nostrils enhances sensory coding. We also showed that experience-dependent plasticity improves odor discrimination through mechanisms such as background subtraction and contrast enhancement.

Integration and modulation of sensory information: Over the last 10 years, we have focused on sensory computations in the habenula, a hub-like brain region linked to defensive and adaptive behaviors and implicated in mood disorders. We found that the habenula is activated by multiple sensory cues and consists of distinct neural ensembles born at different developmental stages, which correlate with the expansion of cognitive capacity. Our results revealed that disrupting habenula-specific mGluRs impairs defensive behavior processing, and ablating the habenula hinders learning and the integration of new information. We also identified the habenula as a central hub that integrates inputs from ancestral cortico-limbic regions and sensory systems. Finally, we recently showed that a downstream target of the habenula, the dorsal raphe, exhibits topographically organized forebrain projections that modulate sensory responses in a locomotion-dependent manner.

The role of astroglia-neuron interactions in brain excitability and epileptic seizures: We showed that astroglia-neuron interactions are crucial for maintaining neural excitability and controlling seizure spread. We discovered that perturbing astroglial glutamate transporters leads to increased network excitability and spontaneous recurrent seizures.

See our past papers here: https://yaksilab.com/publications/

Future directions – Evolution of cortical computations:
Looking ahead, our lab is shifting its focus toward understanding the architecture and computational principles of the pallium, the evolutionary ancestor of the mammalian cortex. In the coming years, we aim to identify the cellular components, structural organization, and computational strategies of the zebrafish pallium, and to investigate how this brain region regulates adaptive behaviors and cognitive functions.

Methods We Use:
Our lab employs a multidisciplinary toolkit to investigate forebrain dynamics and sensory processing, including:

• Two-photon microscopy for high-resolution imaging of neural activity
• Optogenetics to manipulate specific neural circuits with light
• Electrophysiological recordings to measure neuronal excitability and synaptic function
• Applied mathematics for analysing large neurla and behavioral data sets
• Molecular genetics to dissect gene function and generate transgenic lines
• Behavioral assays to link neural activity with animal behavior