Mack, William
Professor of Neurological Surgery (Clinical Scholar)
Dr. Mack is the Principal Investigator and Director of the Cerebrovascular Laboratory in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. His overarching academic goal is to examine the effects of inflammation in experimental models of cerebrovascular disease.
Matho, Katherine
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
How do developmental and genetic programs build brain circuits for complex behavior? My lab investigates this question by integrating developmental neuroscience, molecular genetics, and multi-scale circuit mapping to study cortical sensorimotor circuits underlying goal-directed actions and perception. Using interdisciplinary approaches, such as gene knockin mouse lines and single cell profiling, we examine how neuronal identity and connectivity emerge during development. Our goal is to uncover the molecular and developmental logic of circuit assembly in neurotypical development and how the key building blocks that make up the circuits—cell types—are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders. We hypothesize that a temporal patterning program during pregnancy specifies neuron subtype and wiring, shaping sensorimotor function in the mature brain.
McKemy, David
Professor of Biological Sciences
The McKemy laboratory studies the neurobiological basis of pain, focusing on general somatic sensations of pain, painful neuropathies associated with chronic injury and disease, and the mechanisms that lead to migraine headaches. The lab is also interested in how the microbiome alters general physiological functions that can lead to pain and other disorders.
Moore, Jeffrey
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Many mammals sense and affect their environment predominantly through innate motor programs for exploration, social interaction, and ingestion; yet, little is known about the neuronal circuits that control these motor programs. Our lab uses molecular, systems, and computational neurobiological techniques to identify specific brainstem motor control modules and to determine how higher-order brain structures engage these modules for innate behaviors.
Nagiel, Aaron
Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
The development and maintenance of specific synaptic connections between retinal neurons is critical to its function. Within the last 10 years it has become possible to grow 3-dimensional, multi-layered retinal organoids derived from human stem cells. This advance permits the study of human retinal development and the establishment of synaptic connectivity. Our goal is to elucidate mechanisms underlying synapse formation and specificity in the first synapse of the human visual system. Access to CRISPR-engineered organoids allows us to understand this process in the disease state.
