Steve Ramirez

Biography:

Ramirez aims to “learn how memory works and then how to hijack it.” His research focuses on revealing the neural circuit mechanisms of memory storage and retrieval, and artificially modulating memories to combat maladaptive states. Using optogenetics, Ramirez has located memory traces in the mouse brain and has explored how to reactivate these traces, and implant false ones as well. His work could have profound treatment implications for post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. Ramirez has garnered several awards, including an NIH Director’s Early Independence Award and an NARSAD Young Investigator Award. He is a National Geographic Breakthrough Explorer, and his work has been published in Nature, Science, Neuron, and Frontiers in Neural Circuits, among other publications.

Research Interests:

memory, optogenetics, rodent behavior