Washington University in St Louis · NeuroscienceKepecs Lab
Adam Kepecs · Saint Louis, Missouri
Research Focus
Adam Kepecs' lab focuses on understanding how certain brain circuits, specifically in the basal forebrain, influence attention and cognitive functions. The lab investigates a particular type of neuron that suppresses activity in other neurons to see how it affects our ability to maintain attention over time. Their research has potential implications for treating attention disorders and other cognitive issues related to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
basal forebrainsustained attentionparvalbumin neuronscognitive functionGABAergic signalingoptogeneticsattention disordersAlzheimer's researchneural circuits
Research Aims
3AIM 01Map the projections of parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic neurons in the basal forebrain to the cortex.
AIM 02Record the activity of BF-PV neurons to determine how they predict attention levels during tasks.
AIM 03Investigate whether BF-PV neurons convey motivational signals that influence attention allocation.
Skills the Lab Values
optogeneticsbehavioral testingviral tracingin vivo recordingsneural circuit mappingdata analysiscomputational modelingmouse modelscircuit manipulation
Output against the department
Publications120bottom 42% of dept.390th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations13ktop 31% of dept.211th of 671
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.