To understand neuronal and vascular function.

Research in our lab is focused on understanding neuronal and vascular function. We are particularly interested in teasing apart how individual cells in these systems function and how they cooperate to orchestrate network level behavior. We approach this using a combination of techniques including mouse-genetics, behavior, electrophysiology, in-vivo two-photon imaging, and cutting-edge data analysis.

There are two main branches of research in the lab. One branch is focused on developing data analysis pipelines. As our ability to collect more detailed and increasingly larger datasets becomes commonplace, a major bottleneck is the analysis of this data. We are building the next generation pipelines to fill this gap and manage this data analysis across a range of data types including: neuronal structure, Ca⁺⁺ signaling, and vascular plasticity. Please see our Software page for more info.

The second branch of our work is focused on understanding the structure and function of cerebral vasculature. Comprised of an ecosystem of cell types including endothelial cells, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells, the vasculature is the ‘life-blood’. When any vascular system goes awry, blood supply and nutrients are mismatched to metabolic demands and cells begin to fail. This occurs in diseases such as stroke, hypertension, and diabetes but also in more cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and even aging. We are approaching this by examining the function and disfunction of key cellular players involved in these disease pathologies.