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Our lab uses animal models to understand how neuromodulators facilitate interactions across regions of the brain. We utilize optogenetic and chemogenetic targeting tools to measure how perturbations of neurotransmitter systems associated with illness or disease impact how individual cells coordinate their activity during perception, or mobilize activity to ultimately influence learning and memory, or cognitive and social behavior in mice.
Our principal investigator is Dr. Howard J. Gritton.
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Our research projects focus on:
- the role of neural oscillations and cross-frequency coupling in circuit communication and cognitive function,
- mechanisms of auditory attention and inhibition in complex soundscapes,
- sensory processing in animal models of autism,
- real-time calcium imaging and neurotransmitter signaling during behavior,
- homeostatic regulation of excitation/inhibition balance across aging and disease,
- and the impact of environmental risk factors such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the development of Alzheimer’s Disease and autism spectrum disorder, using whole-brain MRI imaging.