Mark Howe, PhD, is assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University. His lab aims to advance an understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms of action, motivation and learning. His team develops and applies new technical approaches to probe neural circuits with neurotransmitter- and cell-type specificity at high resolution on multiple spatial and temporal scales in behaving animals. A long-term goal is to derive a set of fundamental circuit principles that explain how basal ganglia circuits dynamically modulate behavior and how circuit dysfunction contributes to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and addiction. Previously, Dr. Howe established distinct, behaviorally relevant neuromodulator signals on timescales ranging from tens of milliseconds to days, which may contribute to unique aspects of motivation and learning. Future studies will investigate how these signals are dysregulated in disease and how they may be effectively targeted by future therapeutic strategies.