We take three basic approaches to advancing basic neuroscience.
Together, these can inform and drive future clinical applications.
1 - Circuit neurosciencE
Coerulean Labrynth artwork and the banner on the Contact Us page by Joe Cappa
We are dedicated to the investigation of the intersection of emotional regulation, pain, and reward processing. The neural substrates that promote and maintain these processes are often modulated by converging systems.
In particular, our laboratory is interested in the modulatory role of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system (LC-NE) as a tractable target for clinical intervention. The LC-NE system and its associated circuitry holds promise for interventions in both chronic pain and psychiatric disorders. To move towards these goals we use:
- in vivo optogenetic & chemogenetic manipulations
- in vivo single-unit electrophysiology & calcium imaging
- whole-cell slice electrophysiology for intrinsic and synaptic physiology
- behavioral pharmacology
- anterograde & retrograde neural tract tracing
2 - New Technology for neurosciencE
Technical limitations should not hold back basic or clinical discoveries.
Our laboratory actively pursues the development of new technology to overcome existing limitations to experimental design and access to the mammalian nervous system. In particular we focus on new:
- optoelectronic systems for neural manipulation
- wireless drug & fluid delivery platforms
3 - Unguided Data Analysis
Coming soon: New approaches to solving problems inherent to high dimensional datasets