NEURAL BASIS OF VISUAL BEHAVIOUR 

Queen’s University

New research at Queen's University could pave the way for improved treatment of psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia. Dr. Martin Paré is leading a project to examine brain centres and the connections between them that seem to account for differences between healthy and schizophrenic individuals.

In the project, the eye movement system is being used as an experimental model to better understand how nerve circuits regulate behaviour. What we see in the world around us depends on our ability to regulate the incessant, voluntary movements of the eyes. How we control our gaze to take snapshots of the visual world is Dr. Paré's primary research focus.  His team will study the links between brain regions that process visual information and program eye movements. 

"The goal is to develop accurate descriptions of the brain machinery and circuitry that not only make us see the world the way we do but also control our actions," Dr. Paré says. "The results will help answer key questions, such as how we decide whether to produce certain actions or to withhold them, and what gives us the ability to control our impulses and our thoughts."

Researcher: Dr. Martin Paré