University of Chicago · BiologyFreedman Lab
David J Freedman · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
David Freedman's research lab at the University of Chicago focuses on understanding how the brain makes quick decisions based on visual information. Through the study of neuronal activity in specific brain areas, the lab investigates how we learn to categorize visual stimuli, which is crucial for navigating our daily lives. Their work has important implications for treating cognitive disorders that affect visual recognition and decision-making, such as Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit disorder.
visual categorizationneural computationsbrain diseasesdecision makingAlzheimer's diseaseattention deficit disorderneurosciencecognitive processingneural recording
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the neuronal mechanisms underlying visual categorical decision making.
AIM 02Explore how different brain regions interact during decision-making tasks.
AIM 03Develop theoretical models to explain the patterns of neuronal activity observed experimentally.
AIM 04Examine the implications of visual categorization for understanding brain diseases.
AIM 05Test how reversible inactivation affects decision making processes in the brain.
Skills the Lab Values
large-scale neuronal population recordingreversible inactivationdata analysisstatistical modelingtheoretical model developmentexperimental designvisual motion categorization tasksneural activity monitoringbehavioral task implementation
Output against the department
Publications120bottom 43% of dept.588th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations9.7ktop 39% of dept.403rd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.