Dr. Mark Howe

Biography

Mark Howe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Boston University. He is the director of The Howe Lab, where his research focuses on identifying neural circuit principles responsible for adaptively motivating and selecting actions, as well as learning in changing environments. His work emphasizes the role of the basal ganglia and other brain regions that regulate cognitive and motor functions over multiple timescales. Howe employs a range of techniques including two-photon microscopy, fiber photometry, and electrophysiology to study behaving mice as they perform tasks in virtual environments. These approaches allow for investigations into neural computations across varying spatial scales, from large-scale networks to subcellular compartments of single neurons. The fundamental principles derived from his studies aim to enhance the understanding of neural disorders linked to the basal ganglia, particularly in conditions such as Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease.

Research Interests