Sensory and perception; Social behaviors; Desire and motivation; Learning and memory; Neurological state of the brain.

One of the biggest challenge of modern science is to understand 'How the brain works'. The answer, although still elusive, has profound implications, both for appreciating our own minds, ranging from intelligence to emotion, and for treatments of brain diseases that have brought much sufferings to individuals and society. As the first step, we set to understand how a minature brain works. Using Drosophila, the fruit fly, as a model organism, we are investigating the neural substrate underlying complicated but well conserved behaviors, including learning&memory, social interactions, desire and motivation.