Anirvan Nandy’s primary research goal is to understand how neurons in the different layers of the cortex contribute to the encoding of sensory signals, how this encoded information flows through the cortical layers and how this information flow is modulated by behavioral states such as alertness and attention.

Nandy and his team employ high-density electrode arrays to record the electrical activity of a population of neurons in order to understand the nature of the neural codes that underlie these behavioral states. Further, they perturb the activity of selected sub-populations of neurons using optogenetic manipulations to infer their causal role in behavior.