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NEUROSCIENCE
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 Mammalian
Brain Development
Bin Chen , Dept. MCD Biology
Proper generation of different neuronal
subtypes in the cerebral cortex and their precise wiring into functional neural
circuits underlie our most sophisticated cognitive and perceptual abilities.
When this process goes awry, neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia,
depression, and obsessive compulsive behavior, can arise. Research in the Chen
laboratory is focused on the molecular mechanisms that regulate the neural stem
cells to generate different types of neurons and determining how they are wired
into functional neural circuits. Neurons in the cerebral cortex are organized
into 6 layers. Within each layer, neurons ..... [More]
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The Generation of Neural Connections
David Feldheim, Dept. of MCD Biology
The mammalian brain contains billions of neurons that
make even more billions of synaptic connections. These connections allow us
to perceive the outside world, and are the framework for higher cognitive functions,
such as learning, memory, thought and emotion. In addition, perturbations in
patterns of synaptic connections underlie psychiatric, neurological and developmental
disorders in humans. The Feldheim lab is interested in understanding how neural
connections are generated during development. They find that both genes (nature)
and neural activity (nurture) are used to form these connections during development. [More]
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 High
Energy Physics Comes to the Aid of Neurobiology
Alan Litke, Santa Cruz Institute for Particle
Physics
Alan Litke is physicist who
is also interested in neurobiology. Several years ago, Litke began
to utilize principles from his research on detection of particles in
high-energy-physics collisions in order to develop electrode arrays
that can be used to detect signals from the individual output neurons
of live retinal tissue. Litke and neurobiologist E. J. Chichilnisky
from the Salk Institute used this technology to discover a type of
retinal cell that may help monkeys, apes, and humans see motion. [More]
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 Remarkable
Protein Structures... and Where They Go Wrong in Disease
Glenn Millhauser, Department of Chemistry
In modern biochemistry, structural determination is essential
for understanding the function of biomolecules. Scientists in Glenn Millhauser's
laboratory use peptide synthesis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR),
and electron paramagnetic spin resonance spectroscopy (EPR) to examine the structure
and analyze the function of proteins that have been implicated in several debilitating
diseases. This includes the prion protein, which is responsible for mad cow
disease and the related human affliction, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They have
also examined a novel signaling molecule, called AGRP, which is involved in
energy balance and metabolic pathologies, such as diabetes and obesity. [ More] |
 Organelle
Transport and Neurodegeneration
Bill Saxton, Dept. MCD Biology
The Saxton lab studies mechanisms
that drive intracellular transport and cytoplasmic organization, using Drosophila as
a model organism. To generate and maintain proper cytoplasmic order
and thus their complex functions, cells use microtubules and force-generating
motor proteins to transport RNAs, proteins, mitochondria and other
organelles to appropriate locations. Neurons are especially dependent
on such microtubule-based cytoplasmic transport, because their signaling
functions rely on extraordinarily long cytoplasmic extensions (axons
and dendrites) that require import of many components from their cell
bodies ... [More]
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 Neural
Circuits: Function, Development, and Treatment
Alexander "Sasha" Sher, Santa Cruz Institute
for Particle Physics
Our brain is a highly sophisticated
system that receives information about the outside world, processes
it, and determines our reaction to it. These functions are realized
through billions of individual neurons that are connected in vast and
complicated circuits and use electrical signals to communicate with
each other. The Sher lab is using unique large scale multielectrode
recording systems developed by a collaboration of physicists, biologists,
and engineers to study function, development and treatment of neural
circuits. Sher's research is focused particularly on the retina and
visual system. In addition, in collaboration with prof. Alan Litke,
Sher lab participates in the development of new techniques for recording
and stimulation of neural activity. [More]
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 Organismal
Responses and Therapeutic Treatment of Toxins
Don Smith, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
It is becoming clear that exposures
to environmental toxins, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can cause or contribute
to the development of diseases in humans. For example, some neurobehavioral
and neurodegenerative disorders, such as learning deficits and Parkinsonism
have been linked to elevated lead and manganese exposures in children and manganese
exposures in adults, respectively. The Smith lab explores basic mechanisms underlying
how toxic metal exposures contributes to cellular effects and disease. [More]
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 Glia-neuron
Interaction and Structural Plasticity of the Synapse
Yi Zuo, Dept. of MCD Biology
Neurons communicate
with each other at a specialized structure called the synapse. The
Zuo lab focuses on how the interactions of two types of cells - glia
and neurons - affect synapse formation and plasticity. Zuo's studies
are providing insight into the involvement of glia in learning and
memory. Furthermore, because glial malfunctions are characteristic
of many neurodegenerative diseases, her lab's results may also point
us in the direction of potential treatments for neurological diseases.( [More]
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