Faculty in the BEN area seek to understand the brain mechanisms of
behavior and cognition, including sensation and perception,
communication, social behavior, and learning and memory. We emphasize
comparative, developmental and evolutionary approaches to understanding
animal behavior and its construction by neural systems. Core questions
include: How do neural circuits represent information and generate
behavior? How do social, developmental and situational factors influence
cognition, behavior, and the neural systems that underlie them? What are
the mechanisms (neural, genetic, endocrine, and behavioral) that enable
animals (including humans) to produce behavior that is appropriate for
their ecological context?
