PREP Faculty Directory

Ana Maria Acosta, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Motor Control, Movement & Rehabilitation

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Human Functional and Structural Imaging

Research Interest Description:

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying movement impairments after neural injury or disease and how the nervous system adapts. Current work examines the role of the trunk and the shoulder complex in the motor control of the arm in individuals with brain injury resulting from a stroke. Additional work looks at other aspects of arm movement like the stretch reflex also in stroke and developing rehabilitation interventions to address these movement impairments.

Ivan Alekseichuk, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://sites.northwestern.edu/neuromodlab/

Research Types: Cognitive Neuroscience, Learning & Memory, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuropharmacology, Other

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Human Functional and Structural Imaging, Other

Research Interest Description:

The Precision Neuromodulation Lab investigates how macroscopic neural communications in the human brain encode cognition and emotions in wellness and disorders. We are concurrently developing and applying noninvasive brain stimulation techniques with neuroimaging to understand the causality of brain-behavior interactions. Additionally, we are developing novel brain stimulation-based treatments in psychiatry. Our experimental program includes neuropsychological studies in mood regulation, decision-making, and memory as well as clinical trials in device-based interventional therapies for mental health. Our goal is to enable promising neuroscientific theories about the human brain through interventional experiments and to advance interventional brain therapies according to the precision medicine framework.

Luis Amaral, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://amaral.northwestern.edu

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Neurodegenerative diseases are becoming one of the major causes of death in developed nations. Many of these diseases are strongly associated with aging, prompting the question of which are the changes occurring during aging that have such a large impact on the brain. Our lab is interested in the transcriptomic changes that may occur in different cell types and brain locations as humans and other organisms age. Data from a number of experimental studies suggest that a major challenge to characterize such transcriptomic changes is that they may typically be small and nearly undetectable at the level of single genes. Our lab is investigating whether there may be systematic changes associated with transcript length and whether these changes point to specific mechanisms.

Raj Awatramani, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neurodevelopment, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing

Research Interest Description:

Dysfunctional dopamine (DA) signaling has been associated with a broad spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders, prompting investigations into how midbrain DA neuron heterogeneity may underpin this variety of behavioral symptoms. Emerging literature indeed points to functional heterogeneity even within anatomically defined DA clusters. Recognizing the need for a systematic classification scheme, we have used single-cell profiling to catalog DA neurons based on their gene expression profiles. The goal of my laboratory is to continue to refine our classification of midbrain DA neurons and determine their anatomical and functional properties in normal and diseased states. We also aim to understand developmental mechanisms underpinning this remarkable heterogeneity.

Kynon J Benjamin, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://krotosbenjamin.github.io

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuroimmunology

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

At the Health Equity for Advancing Research and Technology using Genomic Neuroscience (HEART-GeN) lab, we aim to improve therapeutics for underrepresented communities by investigating the influence of genetic ancestry on molecular signatures in the brain. We use computational tools and disease-relevant models such as postmortem brain tissues, brain organoids, and iPSC-derived glial cells to uncover how genetic ancestry impacts complex traits in the brain. This integrative approach provides insights into the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in complex brain disorders.

Mark Bevan, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/bevan/

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neuronal Cell Biology, Motor Control, Neuropharmacology, Neurobiology of Disease, Other

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Computation and Modeling, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Proteomics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Our research is focused on the basal ganglia, a group of subcortical brain nuclei critical for the motivation, selection, and execution of action sequences and the primary site of dysfunction in psychomotor disorders including Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. Our long-term research goals are to define the cellular, synaptic, and circuit mechanisms underlying normal and pathological basal ganglia activity and their linkage to psychomotor function and dysfunction. We have published expertise in in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiology, neuroanatomy at the light and electron microscopic levels, optogenetics, chemogenetics, 2-photon microscopy and uncaging, molecular profiling and manipulation, computational modeling, and mouse behavior.

Insup Choi, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Neurobiology of Disease, Neuroimmunology

Faculty Technique: Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics

Research Interest Description:

Understanding the neuronal environment is crucial for addressing neurodegenerative diseases, akin to examining withering trees in a garden. Our research focuses on microglia, brain-resident macrophages, in conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. We investigate the impact of senescent microglia using genetic mouse models and cell cultures. Senescent cells, accumulating with age, exhibit distinct changes and can damage their environment through pro-inflammatory factors, potentially leading to loss of neuroprotective functions and increased brain inflammation. Our aims are to elucidate:

-How disease conditions promote microglial senescence
-Mechanisms linking senescent microglia to neurotoxicity
-Influence of genetic risk factors on these pathways

Using reporter mice to detect senescent cells in disease models, we seek to uncover insights into microglial senescence and its implications for neurodegenerative diseases, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets.

Anis Contractor, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://contractorlab.org

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Learning & Memory, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

Research in our laboratory is directed at understanding the fundamental mechanisms of synaptic communication and how these processes go wrong in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Daniel Dombeck, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: http://dombecklab.org

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Learning & Memory, Motor Control

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Computation and Modeling, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Other

Research Interest Description:

The neuronal activity underlying mammalian spatial navigation represents one of the most striking examples of behavioral correlation in the brain. Dr. Dombeck’s lab is interested in the cellular and circuit mechanisms responsible for the neuronal activity that allows mammals to navigate and form spatial memories. To accomplish this, the lab develops and applies novel optical and genetic techniques to perform cellular and subcellular resolution imaging and manipulation of neuronal activity in mice navigating in virtual reality environments. By understanding the spatial navigation circuitry, it will hopefully be possible to extract general principles about neuronal circuit dynamics and memory formation in behaving mammals.

Adriana Ferreira, MD, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/ferreira/

Research Types: Neuronal Cell Biology, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Other

Research Interest Description:

The long-term goal of my research is to understand, from a cell and molecular biological perspective, how mammalian central neurons establish and maintain specific synaptic connections.

Marco Gallio

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/marco-gallio/

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Genetics and Epigenetics, Neuronal Cell Biology, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Computation and Modeling, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Our long term goal is to understand how sensory stimuli are used to build an internal representation of the physical world, and how this representation is in turn processed into our actions and behaviors. For this, our laboratory studies temperature sensing and preference in the fruit fly Drosophila. How are hot and cold stimuli detected at the periphery? How are they processed in the brain? How are they integrated with additional sensory streams and internal drives to produce behaviors such as attraction and avoidance? Using the fly as a model system is allowing us to study the basic principles of decision making and motivated behavior in an animal with only 100 thousand neurons (rather than our ~100 billion), and taking advantage of a highly sophisticated experimental toolkit.

Jaime García-Añoveros, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://anoverosduggan.northwestern.edu/lab-members.html

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neurodevelopment, Genetics and Epigenetics, Neuronal Cell Biology, Sensory Systems, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Transcription factors and chromatin modifications in neural development of inner ear and brain. With genetics, epigenomics and transcriptomics combined with neuroanatomy and neurophysiology we are leading in elucidating how the developing cochlea generates its two types of sensory hair cells (inner and outer) and various types of specialized supporting cells. This knowledge will be essential for the induced replacement of outer or inner hair cells in treating hearing loss. We also study how cochlea and brain communicate with each other, how the four types of neurons connecting them assemble during development into an elaborate but stereotyped circuit for the sense of hearing. We are exploring a role of some of these neurons in detecting painfully loud sounds (auditory nociception and pain hyperacusis). We also study the degeneration of cochlear outer hair cells, the leading cause of deafness and most prevalent neurodegenerative condition in humans.

Vladimir Gelfand, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://www.gelfandlab.org/

Research Types: Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuronal Cell Biology

Faculty Technique: Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Proteomics

Research Interest Description:

We are interested in mechanisms of neuronal growth and polarity, We are using Drosophila melanogaster neurons in vivo and in culture and work using live-cell imaging, optogenetics, Drosophilas genetics to address these questions

Changiz Geula, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Neuroimmunology, Neuronal Cell Biology, Neuropharmacology, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Proteomics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Our laboratory pursues several overlapping areas of research in the human brain, with additional investigations centered on non-human primate models, rodent models and cell culture systems. The specific areas of research conducted at our laboratory include: -Age-related changes in the human brain -Factors that contribute to exceptionally high cognitive performance in old age (SuperAging) -Pathobiology of neurodegenerative disorders with a focus on dementias -Mechanisms of the spread of pathology in dementias, including potential trans-synaptic spread of pathology -Underlying mechanisms of selective neuronal vulnerability in neurodegenerative disorders, with an emphasis on the role of intraneuronal calcium dysregulation to this process -Contribution of microglia activation and neuroinflammation to dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration We approach our research using diverse methodologies, including anatomic, pathologic, molecular (transcriptomics, genetic) and neurochemical techniques.

Alicia Guemez-Gamboa, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://sites.northwestern.edu/guemezgamboalab/

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuronal Cell Biology

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

The main goal of our lab is to understand how neural circuits assemble during development and disease. We are particularly interested on the genetic causes and cellular mechanisms related to circuit defects in autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. Our current research focuses on identifying and investigating novel molecular bases of cellular recognition that orchestrate neural circuit assembly during development, and how when they go awry contribute to brain connectivity defects.

Mitra Hartmann, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://sense-lab.github.io/

Research Types: Motor Control, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

We are interested in the neuroscience of active sensing behaviors and particularly the sense of touch. We use the rodent whisker (vibrissal) system as a model to gain insight into closed loop sensorimotor control.

CJ Heckman, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=11464

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Motor Control, Movement & Rehabilitation, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Human Functional and Structural Imaging

Research Interest Description:

Electrophysiology and computational modeling of spinal sensorimotor neurons and circuits.

Jennifer Kearney, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://sites.northwestern.edu/kearney/

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuropharmacology

Faculty Technique: Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Research in my laboratory is focused on identifying genetic factors that contribute to severe childhood epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders. To understand how genetic variations contribute to the underlying pathophysiology, we develop and use mouse models for genetic, physiological and pharmacological studies, as well as in vitro and ex vivo systems to understand cellular effects. The overarching goal is to translate this genetic knowledge into better treatments for childhood epilepsy syndromes and neurodevelopmental disorders.

John Kessler, MD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Neurodevelopment, Neuroimmunology, Learning & Memory, Neuronal Cell Biology, Neurobiology of Disease, Other

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Proteomics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Our research has focused extensively on the regulation of gene expression by stem/progenitor cells and their differentiated progeny. We have defined signaling pathways that direct glial and neuronal lineage commitment and characterized patterns of gene expression that coordinate these processes in both the developing and adult nervous system. I also am the Director of the Northwestern University Stem Cell Institute. I established a core pluripotent stem cell facility for Northwestern almost 15 years ago and have facilitated the use by numerous investigators of human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. Although the majority of my research career has focused on studies of basic cellular and molecular neurobiology, the long-term goal has been to translate our findings into clinical applications. Our work has also collaboratively embraced other fields including bionanotechnology and materials science to help develop tools for accomplishing this long-term goal.

Evangelos Kiskinis, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://evangeloskiskinislab.org

Research Types: Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuronal Cell Biology, Other

Faculty Technique: Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics, Other

Research Interest Description:

My laboratory harnesses the power of human pluripotent stem cells to study neuronal development as well as to understand how neuronal function is impaired as a result of injury or disease. We utilize patient-specific iPSCs and direct reprogramming methods to generate different cell types of the CNS, such as motor neurons, cortical excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We phenotype patient cells by a combination of molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological assays. We are focused on 3 broad topics: a) deciphering the degenerative mechanisms that give rise to distinct genetic and sporadic ALS subtypes (Ortega et al., Neuron); b) developing models of developmental epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) (Simkin et al., eLife); and c) improving iPSC-based technologies (Ziller et al., Cell Stem Cell). The overarching goal of our research is to provide novel insights into neuronal development and identify points of targeted and effective therapeutic intervention for epilepsy and ALS/FTD.

Talia Lerner, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://lernerlab.org/

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Learning & Memory, Motor Control

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

The Lerner Lab studies the neural circuit basis of motivation, reward learning, and habit formation. We are particularly interested in how individual variations in dopamine circuit function relate to differences in behavior and neuropsychiatric disease risk.

Hao Li, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://www.haolilab.org/

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Learning & Memory, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuropharmacology

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

My lab utilizes cutting-edge circuit and systems approaches to study how neuropeptidergic circuits mediate valence processing and regulate motivated behaviors. Specifically, my lab is interested in 1) understanding how neuropeptides exert long-lasting neuromodulatory effects on circuits to regulate emotional states, 2) identifying risk factors of addiction vulnerability and resilience, 3) investigating neural mechanisms underlying observational social aggression, and 4) exploring how the brain-body connection can contribute to anxiety and depression. Ultimately, we aim to understand the neural underpins of motivation and emotion and advance the quest for better treatments for mental health disorders.

Yaping Liu, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://epifluidlab.github.io

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment, Neuroimmunology

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Transcriptomics, Other

Research Interest Description:

The research focus of my lab is on developing and applying computational and high-throughput experimental methods in epigenomics to understand the gene regulation of non-coding genetic variants in different pathological conditions, including brain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, we focused on the method development for cell-free DNA and single-cell multi-omics for the early diagnosis and prognosis of complex diseases.

Gianmaria Maccaferri, MD, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neurodevelopment, Learning & Memory, Neuronal Cell Biology, Neuropharmacology, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy

Research Interest Description:

My interest is focused on the hippocampus, which is an area of the brain involved in higher cognitive functions, and is often the target of neurological illnesses like epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, we study the synaptic properties of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons, which are a very heterogeneous cellular population, with wide anatomical and functional diversity. Additionally, we are trying to unravel the network functions of Cajal-Retzius cells, which are neurons involved in guiding cortical development, but whose computations remain poorly understood. Methodologically, we use state-of-the-art electrophysiological techniques in vitro such as paired recordings from anatomically identified connected neurons, optogenetic control of specific cellular populations and behavioral analysis of transgenic mice. We hope that relating different neuronal types to specific network roles and behaviors in vivo will generate important insights into the organizing principles of cortical networks in the normal brain and during disease, potentially suggesting novel therapeutic strategies.

Elena Martinelli, PhD, MPH

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://www.martinellilab.org/

Research Types: Other

Faculty Technique: Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Transcriptomics, Other

Research Interest Description:

One focus of the research in the lab is the impact of HIV in the CNS, including HIV persistance mechanisms and consequences (such as HIV-related neurocognitive dysfunction)

Malcolm McIver, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Research Types: Motor Control

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics

Research Interest Description:

Professor MacIver believes that the body’s mechanical intelligence can be just as important, if not more important, than what’s going on in your head. His primary scientific efforts are in understanding how animal mechanics and sensory abilities fit together, and he pursues that problem using approaches from neuroscience, animal behavior studies, robotics, mathematical modeling, and computer simulations. In engineering, he has pioneered the development of a new sensor inspired by the ability of certain fish to sense using a self-generated electric field, and highly maneuverable propulsion systems based on fish locomotion. In 2009 he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering from President Obama at the White House, the highest award given to emerging scientists by the government.

Andrew Miri, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://www.mirilab.org/

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Motor Control

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

The patterns of muscle activation that drive movement reflect an interplay between neuronal circuits in the spinal cord and an array of motor system regions. Yet how this interplay gives rise to the remarkable complexity and agility of mammalian movement is poorly understood. This ambiguity stems from the historical challenge of characterizing interactions between neuronal populations over the short timescale (milliseconds) on which the activity of muscles must be coordinated during movement. Fortunately, a wealth of recent technical advances newly enable such characterization. Thanks to emerging physiological methods, we can now assess activity across multiple motor system populations as they interact. With new genetic tools, neural activity measurement and perturbation can be targeted to distinct subpopulations of neurons, which may represent the elemental units of motor system operation. And new computational techniques can identify prominent patterns and salient effects in the activities of populations of neurons and muscles.

Richard Morimoto, PhD, MPH

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: http://molbiosci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/richard-morimoto.html

Research Types: Genetics and Epigenetics, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuronal Cell Biology, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Human lifespan has increased dramatically, and with this is the increased risk for dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. Aging and degenerative diseases are closely linked with a poor response to cell stress and increased molecular and cellular damage caused by toxic misfolded, aggregated and amyloid proteins. Our research on protein quality control mechanisms regulated by the proteostasis network, the heat shock response and the unfolded protein responses of the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria employs C. elegans, patient-derived direct differentiated cortical and striatal neurons, and uses genetic, molecular, cellular, biochemical, omic and computational approaches. Proteostasis collapse in aging is genetically programmed and results in age-dependent acceleration of protein damage and increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS and Huntington’s disease. Our current efforts are to identify the earliest events that predict proteostasis failure in neurons and to develop genetic and therapeutic strategies to slow or reverse this decline.

Elizabeth Norton, PhD

Campus Location: Both

Website: https://learnlab.northwestern.edu

Research Types: Cognitive Neuroscience, Learning & Memory, Neurobiology of Disease, Neurodevelopment

Faculty Technique: Human Functional and Structural Imaging

Research Interest Description:

My research focuses on understanding typical reading and language development as well as developmental and learning disabilities, including dyslexia, developmental language disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. My lab uses brain imaging, including MRI and EEG/ERP, in combination with behavioral measures to address these questions. I am particularly interested in how combining behavior with brain imaging might help us to identify children who are at risk for these disorders earlier than traditional behavioral methods would allow, so that earlier intervention can be provided. I am also working to bring our neuroscience tools to more “real world” contexts, such as the NICU for preterm infants or to assess parents' and toddlers' brains as they play together. As a member of Northwestern's Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci) and director of its Neurodevelopmental Core, I support various projects related to child development and health.

Robin Nusslock, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Research Types: Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroimmunology, Other

Faculty Technique: Human Functional and Structural Imaging

Research Interest Description:

My research program uses neuroscientific methods to examine order and disorder in the emotional brain. Specifically, we use neurophysiology (electroencephalography, event-related potentials) and both structural and functional neuroimaging to study the neural mechanisms involved in approach (e.g., reward) and avoidance (e.g., threat, fear) emotional states, as well as the regulation of these emotions by the prefrontal cortex. We then aim to translate our research on the emotional brain to the investigation of neural mechanisms underlying emotional disorders, including depression, anxiety, and mania. Finally, I recently expanded my research program to examine bidirectional signaling between the brain and the immune system in generating risk for both mental and physical health problems.

Puneet Opal, MD, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/opal/index.html

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Genetics and Epigenetics, Neuronal Cell Biology, Motor Control, Movement & Rehabilitation, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics

Research Interest Description:

The long-term goal of my laboratory is to understand the cellular basis of neurodegeneration. We are testing the idea that neurodegeneration results from derangements in relatively few but strategic sub-cellular pathways. By identifying critical components of these pathways one could begin to not only understand the biology of neurodegeneration, but also embark on the design of novel therapeutic agents. We are currently studying the autosomal dominant disorder Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1), a relentless disease that affects cerebellar Purkinje cells and brainstem neurons. This disorder is caused by polyglutamine expansion in the involved disease protein and is thus similar to a growing number of disorders, including Huntington disease, that share this mutational mechanism. Patients with SCA1 begin to display cerebellar signs characterized by motor incoordination or ataxia in early to mid adulthood. Unfortunately there is no treatment for this disease, patients eventually succumb from the complications of brainstem dysfunction.

Loukia Parisiadou, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://parisiadoulab.com/

Research Types: Motor Control, Neuropharmacology, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy

Research Interest Description:

Our laboratory studies the molecular basis of Parkinson's disease (PD) with a focus on the cellular and molecular pathways dysregulated by PD-linked genes such as α-synuclein and LRRK2. Our long-term research goal by interrogating α-synuclein and mainly LRRK2-dependent alterations at the cellular, network, and behavioral levels is to understand the pathophysiology of PD. The gained knowledge will provide useful insights towards the development of mechanism-based therapeutic opportunities for a disease that is currently addressed symptomatically.

Reesha Patel, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://reeshapatellab.org

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuroimmunology, Neuropharmacology

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Our goal is to understand how neuroimmune signaling and social factors impact neural circuits and behavior, and if we can harness immune mechanisms to reprogram circuits to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. To gain deep mechanistic insight, we use a multidisciplinary approach including molecular biology, cell-type specific transcriptomics, patch electrophysiology, optogenetics, and cellular resolution calcium imaging in freely behaving mice. Current research aims include: 1) determining the causal role of social stress (i.e. social isolation and social subordination) induced immune signaling in escalated alcohol consumption, 2) examine immune interactions with a subpopulation of cortical neurons expressing the receptor for corticotropin-releasing hormone in social isolation-induced aberrant behavior, and 3) identify predictive neuroimmune signatures and mechanisms contributing to social status (i.e. social rank) related susceptibility to behavioral phenotypes of psychiatric disorders. Ultimately, we aim to identify novel immune mechanisms for more efficacious therapeutics for mental health disorders.

Eric Perreault, PhD

Campus Location: Both

Research Types: Motor Control, Movement & Rehabilitation, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics

Research Interest Description:

Research in our group focuses on understanding the neural and biomechanical factors involved in the normal control of multi-joint movement and posture and how these factors are modified following neuromotor pathologies such as stroke and spinal cord injury. The goal of this research is to provide a scientific basis for understanding normal and pathological motor control that can be used to guide rehabilitative strategies and user interface development for restoring function to individuals with motor deficits. A combination of experimentation, system identification and computer simulations is being used to achieve this goal.

Heather Pinkett, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://pinkettlab.northwestern.edu/

Research Types: Other

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Proteomics, Other

Research Interest Description:

ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters work as molecular pumps to transport substrates across cellular membranes. Represented in all organisms, ABC proteins are divided into two classes (i) exporters that mediate the transport of unrelated substances across membranes and (ii) importers which function to allow nutrients into the cell. To date, 13 human diseases are linked to defective transporters, including the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. In order for us to combat the role these proteins play in diseases, deciphering the mechanism substrate specificity and the role of ATP in substrate translocation is of paramount importance. My laboratory is currently conducting research in three areas:

1. Transport mechanism. How do organisms utilize transporters to shuttle nutrients or toxins across membranes?
2. Host-pathogen interaction: How do pathogens utilize ABC transporters to circumvent the host innate immune defenses?
3. Classification of ABC transporters: What is the role of regulatory domains in the transport process?

Murali Prakriya, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/prakriya/Home.html

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neuroimmunology, Learning & Memory, Neuronal Cell Biology, Neuropharmacology, Sensory Systems, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Computation and Modeling, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Proteomics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Ca2+ is a ubiquitous intracellular signaling messenger regulating a wide range of functions including enzyme activation, gene expression, and neurotransmitter release. Cellular Ca2+ signals arise from the opening of Ca2+ permeable ion channels, a diverse family of membrane proteins. We study Ca2+ signals arising from store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs), a family of plasma membrane ion channels that are activated by a decrease in the calcium content of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), an intracellular organelle that serves as a reservoir for storing calcium. Human patients with mutations in SOCs suffer from a devastating immunodeficiency, muscle weakness, and other abnormalities underscoring the vital importance of SOCs for human health. We study the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which SOCs are activated and the mechanisms by which they regulate gene expression, immune cell function, and neuronal and astrocyte functions including synaptic plasticity, astrocyte gliotransmitter release, and cytokine production.

Indira Raman, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Motor Control, Other

Faculty Technique: Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics

Research Interest Description:

In the Raman lab, we study specializations of ion channels and synaptic physiology that permit cerebellar neurons—Purkinje neurons, granule cells, inhibitory interneurons, and output neurons of the cerebellar nuclei—to facilitate coordinated movements and correct errors in mice. Our in vitro experiments focus on properties of ionic currents, synaptic plasticity and modulation, and action potential generation. Our in vivo experiments focus on analyzing and manipulating neuronal firing patterns evoked by sensory input and motor commands during movements associated with tasks requiring the cerebellum. The two levels of analysis inform one another to gain an understanding of how biophysical properties constrain and generate specific cerebellar outputs that produce and modulate motor behavior.

Gabriel Rocklin, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: http://www.rocklinlab.org

Research Types: Other

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Proteomics, Other

Research Interest Description:

We develop high-throughput methods for protein biophysics and protein design, with a focus on protein therapeutics. Key questions include: How do protein sequence and structure determine folding stability, conformational dynamics, and resistance to aggregation/degradation-inducing stresses? Can we quantitatively predict these protein "phenotypes" from genotype (sequence) using computational modeling? How do we design protein therapeutics that optimize these phenotypes for a particular application? To answer these questions, we combine large-scale de novo computational protein design with high-throughput methods such as display selections, mass spectrometry proteomics, and next-generation sequencing, enabling us to test thousands of proteins in parallel. By combining these technologies, we seek to develop efficient "design-test-analyze" cycles, iterating our way to an improved, quantitative understanding of protein biophysics and more advanced protein therapeutics.

Luis Rosas-Vidal, MD, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Learning & Memory, Neuropharmacology

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

We study the neural dynamics of stress and aversive learning, how these processes are modulated by the opioid system, and how they interact with the pursuit of rewards. More specifically, we use a myriad of techniques which include optogenetics, in vivo single cell calcium imaging, and pharmacological and genetic techniques in combination with multiple behavioral assays to explore the circuits involved in mediating stress and aversion, how these experiences are encoded at the neuronal level, how aversion is balanced with the pursuit of rewards, and how these processes are modulated by the opioid system.

Jason Sanchez, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: https://caplab.northwestern.edu/

Research Types: Neurodevelopment, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics

Research Interest Description:

Dr. Sanchez’s laboratory investigates the development of time-coding mechanisms in the auditory brainstem using electrophysiological and anatomical approaches. His primary interests are in synaptic transmission and ion channel function.

Tiffany Schmidt, PhD

Campus Location: Evanston

Website: http://www.schmidtlab-northwestern.com

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Neurodevelopment, Neuronal Cell Biology, Sensory Systems

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

Our lab studies the role of light in behavior by linking the cellular function of cells within the retina to their downstream circuits in the brain and output behavior. To do this, we examine the role of RGC subtypes in specific visual functions. For example, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which express the photopigment melanopsin, comprise five subtypes that drive a wide range of behaviors from circadian photoentrainment to contrast sensitivity for vision. The defined and quantitative behaviors in which these cells are involved and the myriad available genetic tools for the study of this system make it an ideal one in which to study the circuitry and role of ganglion cells in visual behavior. We do this using a range of techniques from electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, optogenetics, and behavioral approaches in various genetic mouse models.

Gregory Schwartz, PhD

Campus Location: Both

Website: http://schwartzlab.feinberg.northwestern.edu

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Sensory Systems, Neurobiology of Disease

Faculty Technique: Circuit Tracing, Computation and Modeling, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Quantitative Behavior, Transcriptomics

Research Interest Description:

Research in our lab focuses on the circuit mechanisms underlying sensory computation. We use the mouse retina as a model system because it allows us to stimulate the circuit precisely with its natural input, patterns of light, and record its natural output, the spike trains of retinal ganglion cells. We harness the power of genetic manipulations and detailed information about cell types to uncover new circuits and discover their role in visual processing. Our methods include electrophysiology, computational modeling, and circuit tracing, and behavior.

Geoff Swanson, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Website: https://labs.feinberg.northwestern.edu/GeoffreySwanson/index.html

Research Types: Learning & Memory, Neurobiology of Disease, Neuronal Cell Biology, Neuropharmacology

Faculty Technique: Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Optogenetics and Chemogenetics

Research Interest Description:

We study the molecular and physiological properties of receptor proteins that underlie excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain. Current research focuses primarily on understanding the roles of kainate receptors, a family of glutamate receptors whose diverse physiological functions include modulation of neurotransmission and induction of synaptic plasticity. We are also interested in exploring how kainate receptors might contribute to pathological processes such as epilepsy, pain and neurodevelopmental disorders. The laboratory investigates receptor function using a diverse group of techniques that include patch-clamp electrophysiology, selective pharmacological compounds, molecular and cellular techniques, and gene-targeted mice.

Matthew Tresch, PhD

Campus Location: Both

Research Types: Circuits and Behavior, Motor Control, Movement & Rehabilitation

Faculty Technique: Computation and Modeling, Electrophysiology and Biophysics, Quantitative Behavior

Research Interest Description:

We examine the neural control of movement, focusing on the role of spinal circuitry. We use an interdisciplinary approach in this research, using a combination of behavioral, biomechanical, and neurophysiological techniques.

Dileep Varma, PhD

Campus Location: Chicago

Research Types: Neuronal Cell Biology, Other

Faculty Technique: Fluorescence Imaging & Microscopy, Molecular Biology & Molecular Genetics, Other

Research Interest Description:

Our lab is primarily focused on cell cycle, cell proliferation, and cancer. Within Neuroscience, we are interested in two broad areas. One of them is brain development. Specifically, we are interested to understand how defective asymmetrical cell division in the developing neocortex leads to brain developmental disorders such as Microcephaly. The 2nd area is neurodegeneration. Specifically, we are interested in understanding the mechanism of activation of microglial or astrocyte cell division in the context of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. We are also currently very keen to understand how protein phase separation and condensate formation could contribute to certain neurodegenerative conditions.