Current Areas of Research:

All of the research in my lab can be related to the simple question: What do animals know about their world, and how do they know it? Indeed, all animals experience the world through their perceptions, so the world is literally defined by the sensory information available. I am particularly interested in understanding the tremendous diversity of sensory systems across the animal kingdom. The breadth of sensory systems found in fishes (the most diverse group of animals with backbones) offers countless opportunities to examine the results of natural evolutionary experiments. What can some species perceive that others cannot, and what specific features of their sensory apparatus are responsible for that difference in performance? We use a variety of techniques to probe the relationship between nervous system structure and sensory function, ranging from studies of peripheral sensory structures and the organization of sensory processing in the brain, to behavioral and physiological studies of sensory abilities.

Selected Publications:

• 2002 Braun CB, Coombs S, and Fay R. What is the nature of multisensory interaction between Octavolateralis sub-systems? Brain Behav Evol 59:162-176.
  
• 2001 Coombs S, Braun CB, and Donovan B. Orienting response of Lake Michigan mottled sculpin is mediated by canal neuromasts. J Exp Biol 204:337-348.
  
• 2000 Braun, C.B. and S. Coombs. The overlapping roles of the inner ear and lateral line: The active space of dipole source detection. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. In press.
  
• 2000 Braun, C.B. and R.G. Northcutt. Chordate and vertebrate body structure: Brain and cranial nerves. In R. Singer and M.K. Diamond (eds.) The Encyclopedia of Paleontology. London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. In press.