Junior Group Shuting Han

Cortical dynamics underlying sensory processing and memory

The world is rich with sensory information, including visual stimuli, sound, smell, and touch. Our perception of the world is shaped by these sensory inputs to our brain, as well as our past experiences. The neocortex is at the center of this process. On one hand, the neocortex processes current sensory inputs and governs our behavior; on the other hand, it also stores memories of the past events, and generates possible predictions of the future with these learnt experiences. In our group, we aim to understand how distributed cortical areas work together to implement these processes. In particular, we investigate both primary sensory areas and higher-order cortical areas, as well as their interactions, during sensory processing and memory. We use a wide range of techniques to study these questions, including multi-area two-photon calcium imaging, virtual reality behavior, electrophysiology, and high-dimensional data analysis.

Shuting Han obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Peking University in Beijing, China, where she majored in biological sciences. She then pursued her PhD at Columbia University in New York under the supervision of Prof. Rafael Yuste. During her PhD, she focused on building tools for neuroscience, including a high-throughput two-photon microscope, and machine learning tools for automated behavior analysis and neural ensemble analysis. Since 2019, she has been in the group of Prof. Fritjof Helmchen at the University of Zurich, where she studied predictive coding in hierarchical cortical circuits in mice using a multi-area two-photon microscope. Since 2024, she started her own junior group hosted by the Helmchen lab, funded by the SNSF Ambizione fellowship.