A stable sense of direction is the basis of many navigational strategies.
Recent work has uncovered circuits that maintain an internal compass, but the mechanisms by which this “neural compass” is constructed from sensory input in an ever changing world are still mysterious.
More soonIn fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) we can use genetic tools and established calcium imaging techniques to monitor and perturb defined populations of neurons. Desert ants (Cataglyphis nodus) have exquisite and robust navigation behaviour, which has been characterised in a defined ethological context.
We compare these models across multiple axes: anatomical structure of circuits, behaviour and eventually physiology.
More soon
Our goal is to understand how neural activity drives behavior. To get there, we combine the following techniques:
Romita Trehan will joing the lab in April 2024. Learn more about Romita here!
The Haberkern lab is officially opening on November 2023. Exciting times ahead! The lab will be part of the Chair of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology (Zoology 2) at the university of Würzburg.
Our research is currently funded through the the Emmy Noether Program of the German Research Council (DFG).
