Our lab focuses on investigating the brain circuits implicated in treatment resistant depression with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapies for this devastating disease.

The focus of the Obata Lab is to study how environmental signals (e.g., microbiota, diet, day/night cycles) shape intestinal neural circuits and immune cell networks. A variety of experimental techniques are used, including state-of-the-art imaging technologies, viral tracing of gut innervation, in vivo and ex vivo physiological assays, gnotobiotic systems and multi-omics technologies. The Obata Lab is also interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of inter-organ communication, including the Gut-Brain axis.

The Pool Lab studies neural circuits that provide a sense of purpose and direction to animal behavior and develops targeted gene therapies to re-engineer their function.

The central goal of the Dauer Lab is to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms of diseases that disrupt the motor system. In exploring these diseases, we also aim to understand a fundamental question relevant to CNS disease generally: what factors determine the selective vulnerability of particular cell types or circuits to insults? Our primary focus is on Parkinson’s disease and inherited forms of dystonia. We focus our efforts on disease genes that cause these disorders, employing a range of molecular, cellular, and whole animal studies to dissect the normal role of disease proteins, and how pathogenic mutations lead to disease.

The mission of Napierala Lab is to contribute to the development of therapies and a cure for Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) by elucidating molecular mechanisms causing the disease, developing novel cellular and animal models of FRDA, identifying disease biomarkers and testing novel therapeutic approaches.

Our lab focuses on the neural dynamics for successful memory access and retrieval during episodic working memory tasks to elucidate the neural circuit mechanism in the hippocampal-cortical network.

The Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care (CDRC) is nationally recognized for its cutting-edge research in unipolar and bipolar depression. The research conducted within the center brings better understanding of the causes of depression, identifies effective new treatments, and improves existing ones.

The Vernino Lab focuses on the mechanisms of autoimmune disorders of the nervous system, especially those associated with neurological autoantibodies. We use a variety of techniques including histology, and immunology.  This research is complemented by clinical therapeutic trials studying novel treatments for autoimmune encephalitis and autonomic disorders.

The Shahmoradian lab investigates the roles of domain-specific neuronal proteins using advanced cryo-imaging techniques to understand their impact on cellular dynamics and neurological health.

Our lab is working with to develop a gene therapy that would allow increased Ube3a expression in the paternal copy of the gene that causes Angelman syndrome.