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About the lab

The Mendoza-Halliday Lab investigates the mechanisms by which neurons in the brain generate, maintain, monitor, and dynamically transform mental representations in working memory—those that are available even without the use of our senses. This extraordinary cognitive ability is one of the foundations of human intelligence, and is critical for most other cognitive functions, such as attention, decision-making, and action-planning, as well as creativity and imagination. Working memory is also one of the cognitive functions with the highest risk of failure in major neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, psychosis, and bipolar disorder. 

Depiction of optogenetics with Schwerpunkt sculpture by Ralph Helmick.  Artistic photo by Diego Mendoza-Halliday

Depiction of optogenetics with Schwerpunkt sculpture by Ralph Helmick. Artistic photo by Diego Mendoza-Halliday

University of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Mellon University - Neuroscience Institute
Sensory representation vs. internal mental representation

Artistic image by Diego Mendoza-Halliday

(based on "The Persistence of Memory", by Salvador Dalí)

The Mendoza-Halliday Lab is affiliated with the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), a joint venture with the Neuroscience Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The Lab is located at the Mellon Institute (Carnegie Mellon University).

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