Jaeeon Lee

I am a postdoc in Nao Uchida's Lab at the MCB dept. I obtained my Ph.D at Harvard under Bernardo Sabatini in 2021, and was a recipeint of Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award.

I am broadly interested in how animals meta-learn. Currently, I'm exploring how meta-learning for value computation emerges in mice, and how meta-learning is impaired in aged animals. I use a combination of behavioral analysis, in vivo electrophysiology, fiber photometry, combined with RNN modelling.

CV / Google Scholar / Twitter

Ongoing work in Uchida lab

Transition from plasticity to recurrent dynamics-based value for meta-learning

Jaeeon Lee*

, Jay Hennig, Vanessa Frelih, Naoshige Uchida
in preparation

We show that meta-learning in value computataion emerges through a transition from plasticity-based value update to recurrent dynamics-based value update. We developped a new RNN implementation with an online learning rule (T-BPTT) which mimics mouse behavior and display meta-learning via a transition from plasticity to dynamics-based value update. This transition to dynamics-based value allow both RNNs and mice to infer value using structural knowledge.

Ph.D work in Sabatini lab

	From avoidance to new action: the multifaceted role of the striatal indirect pathway Jaeeon Lee* , Bernardo Sabatini Nature Reviews Neuroscience(2025) , pdf In this perspective, we discuss recent works regarding the function of striatal indirect pathway. We focus on two ideas: dopamine dependent learning rule in the indirect pathway, and the action switching phenotype. We propose that these two facets allows the indirect pathway to avoid non-optimal actions while exploring alternative actions.
	Striatal indirect pathway mediates exploration via collicular competition Jaeeon Lee* , Bernardo Sabatini Nature (2021) , pdf We dissected the functional impact of stimulating the striatal D2 indirect pathway, on behavior and neural dynamics in a downstream region (colliculus). We show that D2 pathway can both suppress and trigger movement on the contra/ipsi side respectively. This can be explained by paradoxical excitaiton of contralateral SC. We propose a general circuit mechanism for exploration mediated by basal ganglia-collicular circuit.
	Anatomically segregated basal ganglia pathways allow parallel behavioral modulation Jaeeon Lee* , Wengang Wang, Bernardo Sabatini Nature Neuroscience (2020) pdf We show topographical loops starting from striatum to Pf, VM and SC in the mouse brain. Segregated pathways in medial vs ventrolateral striatum modulate turning/licking behavior respectively, confirming parallel organization of BG output pathways.
	Depth-resolved fiber photometry with a single tapered optical fiber implant Filippo Pisano, Marco Pisanello, Suk Joon Lee, Jaeeon Lee , et al Nature Methods (2019) pdf We show the application of tapered fibers in depth-selevtive photometry. We simultaenously recorded dopamine signals in dorsal/ventral striatum in the same mouse and show signals can diverge at specficic behavioral events.