Download Text - Department of Physiology, UCLA

Electrical activity underlies most aspects of brain function.
Our research focuses on the voltage-gated ion channels that
confer electrical excitability on neurons and the consequences
of changes in channel activity for neuronal firing, circuit
function, behavior, and neuronal viability during development and
aging.
Work in our lab spans many levels of analysis, from the
molecular to the behavioral. We are studying how voltage
controls the activity of K+ channels, how changes in channel
function or expression affect the firing patterns of neurons and
the emergent properties of neuronal circuits, and how altering
neuronal excitability affects behavior. We are also investigating
the relationship between excitability and neuronal survival at
different stages of life.
We use a wide variety of experimental approaches to address
these issues, including electrophysiology, imaging, biochemistry,
molecular biology, genetics, and behavioral analysis. In the past
few years, we have adopted the zebrafish, Danio rerio, as our
main model system for integrative analysis. We also use Xenopus
oocytes to investigate channel function and primary cultures of
rodent neurons to explore the relationship between channel
activity and neuronal function and viability.
We are always looking for bright, hard-working individuals
who want to work in a collaborative environment focusing on
mechanistic, quantitative approaches to key questions in
neuroscience.