How does the brain parse sensory inputs to generate decisions and actions? Can signals measured from the brain be directly used to control prosthetics and other external devices? These are some of the questions driving research at the Neural Systems Laboratory at the University of Washington. CSE researcher Rajesh Rao discusses recent work on models of Bayesian inference in neurobiological circuits.   Research in the lab is being pursued in collaboration with UW faculty in the Neurobiology and Behavior program, the UW Medical School, and the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. From the Series:CSE Colloquia - 2005