Our neurobiology group focuses on cellular and molecular analysis of the nervous system, with a particular emphasis on the formation and function of connections between neurons.

Each neuron in the nervous system connects with hundreds to thousands of other neurons through long axons, which are principally for output, and shorter dendrites, which are primarily for inputs. The contacts, or synapses, are highly complex multifunctional yet modifiable structures that transmit information. Synapses also change with time, depending on patterns of neural activity.

We know that all people have the same senses and that we all perceive and react similarly to simple physical stimuli in our environment. However, we also know that peoples' responses to more complex situations are not identical; we all possess different memories and often act differently according to our different past experiences. Sadly, we also know that disease or disability can adversely affect our perceptions, behavior or memory. All this is reflected in the connectivity among neurons.

The general patterns of connections are highly stereotyped, largely the same from one individual to the next, as are the trajectories and branching patterns of the axons and dendrites of each type of neuron. Yet the number, position, structure, and function of connections differ in detail among individuals.

Neurological diseases and trauma destroy or alter neural connections and often kill the neurons themselves. The emphasis of the neurobiologists in our department is the molecular machinery that underlies the formation of these patterned connections during development and their function in the mature nervous system.

We are also concerned with the dynamic changes in these connections, which appear to be the cellular basis of learning and memory. These are challenging problems in that they involve unraveling the molecular details of the nervous system–the most complex system in the known universe! However, solving these problems has great rewards in the basic understanding of our own behavior and how it can be affected by experience or by disease.