Jelle Atema
Our labs in Boston and Woods Hole focus on three seemingly disparate research areas: chemical ecology of lobsters, navigation in sharks, and dispersal in larval reef fishes. These efforts are linked by a common theme: understanding how marine animals sense their environment, how they use this information to make decisions leading to food and mates […]
Lynne Chantranupong
Neurons are extremely specialized cells. They can generate intense electrical activity, maintain highly complex morphologies, and survive our entire lifetimes. Moreover, neurons are incredibly diverse, exhibiting a wide range of activity states, shapes, and sizes. These specializations confer different needs and liabilities to neurons, which they must address by adapting their molecular pathways to maintain […]
Jerry Chen
Investigating Long-Range Neocortical Networks: A longstanding goal in neuroscience is to achieve a complete understanding of the central nervous system, from the brain as a whole all the way down to individual neurons and synapses. A fundamental challenge in achieving this goal is bridging knowledge gaps impeded by the difficulty in integrating experimental measurements across […]
Ian Davison
Our lab studies the neural circuits that underlie perception and behavior in the olfactory system. Smell is notorious for its links to emotion and memory, and in the animal world, it is also a powerful trigger of innate behaviors like aggression, courtship, and fear. Our overall goal is to establish the circuit architecture and computational […]
Lindsay A. Farrer
Dr. Lindsay Farrer is a medical geneticist at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health where he is the Boston University Distinguished Professor of Genetics, Chief of Biomedical Genetics, and a Professor of Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics. Dr. Farrer is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, received […]
Jeffrey Gavornik
The basis of all cognitive function is communication between neurons in the brain. This communication is mediated by synaptic connections that are modified by experience to encode function. In order to get at the big question of “how the brain works,” I study how experience-driven synaptic plasticity changes local neocortical physiology. I am particularly interested […]
Angela Ho
Brain function requires proper networking and communication between neurons. Brain development is a complex process that involves the movement and proper connectivity of neurons. Mutations in certain genes lead to improper neuron movement and brain development that often lead to severe learning disabilities in children. We are studying a specific pathway that controls one aspect […]
Jen-Wei Lin
My main research focus is on the biophysical events underlying transmitter release. Neurotransmitter secretion involves ion channel gating, diffusion and buffering of calcium ions, vesicular fusion as well as the mobilization and recycling of, synaptic vesicles. We use electrophysiological and imaging techniques to monitor processes underlying synaptic transmission at a high time resolution. Using the […]
Heng-Ye Man
Our research interests are focused on brain development, especially neuronal migration, morphogenesis, synapse formation, glutamate receptors and synaptic plasticity. We aim to understand the cellular and molecular processes implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and developmental disorders including autism, Angelman syndrome, intellectual disability and Alzheimer’s disease. We use diverse techniques including biochemistry, immunofluorescent staining, live imaging, virus […]
Tuan Leng Tay
How do the different types of glial cells, such as astrocytes and microglia, support the healthy development of the brain? They are important in the maintenance and (immune) protection of our nervous system. In disease and injury, glial cells alter themselves in response to a disrupted steady state, potentially to restore health to their neuronal […]