Aleena R. Garner

Aleena R. Garner serves as an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, where she leads the Garner Lab focused on neural circuit function and multisensory processing. Her research program investigates how memories shape sensory information processing and expectation building through sophisticated neural circuit analysis.

Dr. Garner's research interests center on sensation circuit function, particularly examining how memories influence multisensory integration. Her work employs cutting-edge techniques in neural circuit mapping to understand audio-visual prediction mechanisms and memory trace formation. The lab's approach combines genetic engineering, behavioral analysis, and neural imaging to uncover fundamental principles of how the brain processes and anticipates sensory inputs.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a strong focus on neural representation and multisensory integration, with significant contributions to understanding how cortical circuits handle audio-visual predictions. Her research demonstrates that with learning, cross-modal cortical connections function to suppress responses to predictable sensory input, suggesting internally generated brain activity constitutes coherent representations that can be incorporated into new memories.

Dr. Garner's research is supported by funding from Harvard Medical School, The Lefler Center, and the Genise Goldenson Research Award. She maintains active collaborations with prominent researchers including Georg B. Keller, M. Mayford, and B. Bowerman across multiple institutions.

The Garner Lab serves as her primary research unit, where she directs investigations into neural circuit function and memory formation. Her laboratory environment fosters interdisciplinary approaches to understanding how the brain builds expectations through sensory experience and memory integration.