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Neural Stem Cells and Embryonic Cortical Development

Synaptic Plasticity and Circuit Function in the Basal Ganglia

Neural circuits for homeostatic behaviors

Electrical Signaling at the Mitochondrion in Health and Disease

Neural circuits for emotional behaviors

The primary goal of our research is to delineate the neuronal circuits that underlie emotional behavior so that we may understand how they may be disrupted in mood and anxiety disorders. For this, we use a combination of approaches in mouse models including population calcium imaging, optogenetics, behavior, neural circuit tracing and high-density electrophysiology, in order to control genetically identified brain networks in real time.

The molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease

The Molecular Biology of Nociception and Pain

We are interested in the molecular biology of sensory transduction and neurotransmitter action in the mammalian nervous system. A main goal is to understand the molecular basis of somatosensation - the process whereby we experience touch and temperature - with an emphasis on identifying molecules that detect noxious (pain-producing) stimuli. We are also interested in understanding how somatosensation is altered in response to tissue or nerve injury.

Neuronal morphogenesis and circuit assembly

Potassium Channels and Calcium-activated Chloride Channels

Conserved among eukaryotes and prokaryotes, potassium channels modulate neuronal signaling in the brain and peripheral nervous system, regulate cell volume and the flow of salt across epithelia, and control heart rate, vascular tone, and the release of hormones such as insulin. They further protect neurons and muscles under metabolic stress. 

Neural Basis for Sex-Differences in Metabolism