Arnold, Don
Professor of Biological Sciences
The Arnold lab develops molecular tools for studying and manipulating neural circuits. We have developed novel recombinant probes known as FingRs, which label synaptic proteins such as PSD95, Gephyrin, and CamKii with high fidelity without causing off-target effects. We have used FingRs to visualize the formation of memories in larval zebrafish. These probes can also be used to ablate synapses, leading to functional disruption of neural circuits in a fast, efficient, and reversible manner. More recently, we developed ATLAS, a protein that mediates anterograde tracing of neural circuits from genetically determined neurons. We believe that ATLAS and its variants for tracing neuromodulatory circuits will be powerful tools for observing and manipulating neural circuits in the context of living organisms.
Benayoun, Berenice
Associate Professor of Gerontology, Biological Sciences and Cancer Biology
My lab has been excited to explore understudied influences (specifically biological sex and reproductive status) on gene regulation across key biological systems including the aging brain, with a special interest for innate immunity (e.g. neutrophils, macrophages, microglia), and how these inputs lastingly influence vertebrate health. Sex-dimorphic processes can have a major and lasting influence on somatic health, yet, this exciting question is still dramatically understudied, with few studies looking at the influence of biological sex as a focal point of interest, thus ignoring a major contributor to health disparities in human populations.
Bienkowski, Michael
Assistant Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering
Our lab investigates brain cell types, their susceptibility to disease, and how biomedical treatments can slow or prevent neurodegeneration. We have a wide variety of collaborative research projects using animal models of retinal diseases and Alzheimer’s disease (mice, rats, rabbits) as well as studies in post-mortem human samples. We use cutting-edge multidisciplinary approaches to characterize brain cell types and their neurodegeneration including viral tract tracing connectomics, spatial transcriptomics, 3D neuronal reconstruction, and digital pathology/machine learning.
Bonaguidi, Michael
Associate Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Cognitive impairment (CI) is a burdensome neurological condition that occurs during aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and is a common co-morbidity in many neurodegenerative diseases, including epilepsy. Unfortunately, CI prevalence continues to accelerate due to population aging and emerging therapies only slows CI by a few months. Our research seeks to develop regenerative medicine and provide longer-lasting benefits to CI through brain restoration. We are establishing endogenous brain regeneration as a therapeutic approach for CI in pre-clinical animals and people by (1) investigating neural stem cell behavior in aging, AD and epilepsy, (2) developing computational/AI drug discovery tools for precision medicine to treat CI, and (3) partnering with physicians for human research and clinical trials to translate our findings.
Bottjer, Sarah
Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology
Our lab studies how neural circuits that traverse the cortex and basal ganglia mediate motor skill learning during development. Skill learning entails the acquisition of a new behavior as trial and error of variable actions are refined into a stereotyped pattern. Acquisition of new motor skills depends on neural circuits that compare feedback of self-generated movements to a desired goal and reinforce “correct" movements that match that goal. We use multidisciplinary behavioral and systems neuroscience approaches to study the function of cortico-basal ganglia circuits during developmental skill learning. Understanding the normal function of these circuits is a necessary prerequisite to understanding the multiple diseases associated with disorders of the basal ganglia.
Chang, Karen T.
Associate Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience
Our lab is interested in understanding how neurons communicate with high fidelity to support complex brain functions. We aim to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable precise synaptic signaling and to explore how disruptions in these processes contribute to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a genetically tractable model system, we integrate electrophysiology, molecular biology, confocal imaging, proteomics, and behavioral analysis to investigate synaptic function and plasticity.
