My research is focused on the functions performed by the prefrontal cortex, a neocortical region involved in high-level cognitive processes such as working memory and regulation of motivational and emotional states. A parallel line of research in the lab deals with the development of new optogenetic tools. Our projects intertwine the development of new tools with their implementation to address basic neuroscience questions. We have recently found that a family of bi-stable rhodopsin proteins that couple to the Gi/o signaling pathway is capable of effectively silencing presynaptic transmission