Stagkourakis Lab Research Program
The Stagkourakis Lab studies the neural and neurohormonal mechanisms that govern survival behaviors, including aggression, fear, parental care, and metabolic behaviors. These behaviors are evolutionarily conserved, are expressed with no prior learning, and are essential for an animal’s survival and reproductive success. Despite their fundamental nature, the brain-wide computations and internal state dynamics that shape such behaviors remain poorly understood.
To address this, we combine advanced in vivo recording and manipulation techniques with rigorous behavioral paradigms in freely moving animals – using mice as the animal model of choice. Our experimental approaches include large-scale electrophysiology, multi-color biosensor imaging with head-mounted miniscopes, and two-photon microscopy. These technologies allow us to monitor and perturb defined neural populations across cortical, hypothalamic, and brainstem structures while animals engage in naturalistic social and homeostatic behaviors.
A central aim of our lab is to uncover how distributed neural ensembles coordinate to produce flexible and state-dependent behavior. We are particularly interested in how internal variables like hormonal states (e.g., testosterone, oxytocin) influence circuit dynamics and behavioral output. Through these efforts, we aim to identify general principles of neural control that bridge molecular, cellular, and systems-level mechanisms.
Our work also has translational relevance. Dysregulation of survival circuits is implicated in psychiatric conditions such as anxiety disorders, pathological aggression, and eating disorders. By understanding the physiological mechanisms that support adaptive behavior, we seek to clarify how their disruption leads to maladaptive outcomes.
The lab was established in 2024 and is situated at the intersection of Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Neuroscience and SciLifeLab – Sweden’s national hub for data-driven life science. Our team includes experimental and computational researchers working in close collaboration to integrate circuit-level data, behavioral modeling, and new neurotechnologies.
Join us!
We are actively recruiting highly motivated researchers with a background in neuroscience, engineering, physics, or computational biology. If you’re passionate about understanding how the brain gives rise to behavior – and how those behaviors can go awry, get in touch with us.