We study infant brains to understand how the adult brain works.

With its ability to acquire and process huge amounts of information and to infer general rules from limited amounts of data, the infant brain is the most powerful learning machine in the known universe. It is able to distinguish words before understanding language, to perceive numbers before learning math, to perform statistical inference and abstract reasoning, and to create memories of personal experiences before being able to remember them.

How can a developing, immature brain perform such complex computations?

The mission of the lab is to reveal the principles driving the structural and functional maturation of neuronal circuits supporting spatial navigation and memory, to understand how cognitive functions emerge in the mammalian brain during development.

The donatolab is part of the Biozentrum of the University of Basel. Visit the Biozentrum website here.