Austin Bruce
Department
Neurology
Biography
My research focuses on characterizing the roles of genetically-defined striatal circuits in executive control. While the respective roles of striatal medium spiny neurons expressing either the dopamine receptors DRD1 or DRD2 have been extensively studied with respect to movement and reinforcement learning, their contributions to processes such as working memory and decision-making remain poorly understood. My research aims to shrink these knowledge gaps utilizing a combination of cell-type specific in vivo electrophysiology and optogenetics together with computational modelling.