My research group aims to understand the neural basis of sensory perception. We study how the brain processes visual information, and how neural networks in the neocortex and thalamus interact to integrate visual signals with other information in order to represent and interpret the outside world. My talk will cover our most recent findings on the principles of circuit organization that underlie visual processing in the neocortex as well as how visual cortex responses and neuronal interactions change during learning as sensory stimuli acquire behavioural relevance. Further, while sensory perception is thought to mainly rely on cortical circuits, higher-order sensory nuclei in the thalamus interconnect extensively with all sensory cortical and many subcortical areas. I will present our efforts to understand the role of higher-order thalamocortical interactions during sensory processing.