Different hardware, similar outcome – naturalistic behavior in primates and rodents compared

How does neuronal activity represent complementary cognitive processes simultaneously at any given moment? Different animal species have used different strategies to solve this neural processing challenge – are they evolutionarily conserved or species-specific? To study these questions, our lab conducts parallel experiments in the two most dominant model species of systems neuroscience: monkeys and mice. We examine visually guided decision-making and responses of these animals in a natural context.