Yale University · NeuroscienceVisual Processing and Neural Circuits Lab
Michael James Higley · New Haven, Connecticut
Research Focus
Dr. Michael Higley's research lab at Yale University explores how our brains process visual information and how this influences behavior, such as navigation and memory. By studying the connections between different brain regions, particularly the medial entorhinal cortex and neocortex, the lab aims to uncover the cellular and circuit mechanisms involved in visual representation and GABAergic inhibition. Their work is crucial for understanding fundamental brain functions and may have implications for treating neuropsychiatric disorders.
visual representationmedial entorhinal cortexGABAergic inhibitionneocortexsynaptic dynamicsneural circuitsbehaviornavigationsynaptic plasticity
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how medial entorhinal cortex neurons encode visual stimuli.
AIM 02Understand the relationship between synaptic strength and behavioral states.
AIM 03Examine the effects of tonic GABAergic currents on cortical neuron excitability.
AIM 04Elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying GABA inhibition in the neocortex.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologyanatomical tracingoptogenetics2-photon imagingpharmacologyin vivo experimentationcell culturemouse modelsbehavioral assays
Output against the department
Publications88bottom 28% of dept.486th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.4kbottom 44% of dept.375th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.