Our lab investigates how the brain distinguishes between safe and threatening contexts - and why this process can break down in anxiety disorders, PTSD and fear-related disorders. We bridge the gap between traditional lab-based testing and real-world complexity by combining standard behavioral assays with studies of free-roaming mice in large, naturalistic environments. 

We focus on the septohippocampal system, a network involved in learning, memory and emotional regulation. Using cutting-edge techniques like multi-region neural recordings, cell-type specific manipulations, and miniature imaging in freely behaving mice, we study how animals form, retrieve, and sometimes overgeneralize memories of threat. We systematically incorporate sex as a biological variable in all aspects of this work. 

By revealing how neural circuits assign emotional meaning to places and experiences, we aim to uncover new pathways for understanding - an ultimately treating -  anxiety and related disorders.