Project Directions:
- Neuropeptide co-release mechanisms in the hypothalamus
- Joint modeling of behavior and neuronal activity patterns
- Pharmacodynamic properties of natural and synthetic products and characterization of biased cell signaling
- Effects of mild traumatic brain injury on neuronal activity
- Effects of fear conditioning on repetitive behavior and substance self-administration
- Development of implantable neural devices
Methods:
- Genetics
- PCR
- Transgenic mouse breeding
- Viral transduction
- Transcriptional analysis
- qPCR
- In-situ hybridization
- Protein analysis
- Immunohistochemistry
- ELISA
- Cellular analysis
- Patch clamp electrophysiology
- Calcium imaging ex vivo and in vivo
- Microscopy
- Epifluorescent
- Confocal
- IR-DIC bright field
- Circuit node analysis
- Anterograde/retrograde tracing
- Channelrhodopsin2 Assisted Circuit Mapping (CRACM)
- Behavioral analysis
- Exploratory
- Motivation/reward
- Drinking/feeding
- Anxiety
- Maintenence/grooming
- Escape/Defense
- Nociceptive
- Surgical approaches
- Stereotaxic surgeries
- Cannula/GRIN lens implantation
- Cerebrospinal fluid collection
- Core telemeter implantation
- Spared nerve injury
- Neuronal manipulation
- Optogenetics
- Chemogenetics
- Fabrication
- Fiber optics/wireless LEDs
- Pipettes
- Behavior apparatuses
- Arduino
Funding:
1R25EB036412-01 ($939,540 total; 2025-2029): Mississippi ESTEEMED Scholars
ORSP Small Grant Program ($10,000; 2025): The effect of experimental and simulated blast on rodent brain and behavior
GlyCORE Research Project Leader ($350,000, 2025-2028): The effect of brevican glycosylation on neuronal excitability