As an associate professor, I conduct research in neurophysiology. In my work, I am particularly interested in elucidating the circuit role of inhibitory brain nerve cells in generating brain rhythmic activity and in regulating behavior, such as sleep and memory formation. I have a degree in neuroscience, and my current role includes being a research investigator in the Department of Biomedicine.
I collaborate with national and international basic and clinical scientists with complementary approaches to studying human brain tissue and genetic profiling. The goal is to identify conserved GABAergic neuron types between humans and rodents using cross-disciplinary, comprehensive methodologies.
My primary area of responsibility is conducting research to characterize GABAergic cell types in rodent brains, their roles in behavior—specifically fear learning and sleep—and how stress and psychiatric disorders alter them in animal models. I also characterize human brain cells using a multimodal approach, Patch-seq. I am responsible for teaching the neurobiology of learning and memory to master’s students and contributing to medical student education in basic neuroscience.
