Function of neural circuits; neural coding of information; visual processing; object recognition; perception of space and motion in primates; neural mechanisms of emotional behavior; mechanisms of sleep; learning and memory; psychophysics of human perception, cognition, and action; social behavior in humans; complexity and control in brain architecture; evolution of brain and behavior in primates.

Cognitive Neuroscience typically focuses on perception, sensory-motor coordination, cognition, memory, sensory-motor coordination, emotion and decision making , mostly in the human (but the monkey and some other species as well). We investigate these functions in relation to their neural correlates. Methodologically, it based on brain imaging and recording (e.g., fMRI, intracranial recordings, EEG, etc.), brain stimulation (e.g., TMS, tDCS, ultrasound), and combinations of them (brain-machine interface, neural feedback). Some examples of research topics in Cognitive Neuroscience at Caltech include; multisensory integration, neurological disorders, brain-machine interface, reward and aversive related learning, decision making, self-control and human computational ethology.

Computational Neuroscience encompasses diverse goals: using models and theories to understand the brain as a biological system; understanding the brain as a computing system; engineering better computers and algorithms using insights from biological brains. Research at Caltech pursues all three flavors, and benefits greatly from synergies with machine learning and robotics in the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Human neuroscience in BBE spans from studies of drugs and molecules to imaging of entire human brains in the Caltech Brain Imaging Center (link). Approaches fuse basic research and engineering, for instance in work using brain-machine interfaces that allow paralyzed patients to control robotic limbs and computers. Several core domains of perception, cognition and emotion are studied, including memory, emotion, decision-making.  Several projects  directly include clinical populations, such as people with autism or depression, studies that are often closely integrated with work in animal models.

Molecular mechanisms of nervous-system development; neural crest development; axon guidance and synaptogenesis; ion channels, transporters, and receptors; structure and function of synapses; genetic tools for activating, silencing, and tracing neural circuits; molecular genetics of behavior.

Neuroengineering involves the development of engineering techniques to understand, interact with, and influence neural function. Caltech is a leader in the development of brain-machine interfaces, electrophysiology, and methods for understanding and developing therapies for neurological diseases. Active areas of research include genetic tools for activating, silencing, and tracing neural circuits; optogenetic applications; multi-electrode devices; wireless recording; large-scale data analysis; computational modeling.