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Faculty are listed by Department within their Research Areas,
with descriptions of their active projects.


ANATOMY AND NEUROBIOLOGY

BERTRAM PAYNE
Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology; PhD, University of Durham, U.K.

Research Interests:My research concentrates on: 1) perceptual and cognitive processes of parietal and temporal visual cortices; 2) neural processing in visual cortical and subcortical networks; 3) system-wide repercussions and sparing of cognitive processes following early damage of primary visual cortex; 4) network plasticity in the mature brain, and 5) functional interactions between the cerebral hemispheres and other cerebral network components. Techniques used include electrophysiology, quantitative anatomy of brain pathways, reversible cooling deactivation, permanent lesion deactivations, and behavioral testing methods.


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DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

JELLE ATEMA
Professor of Biology; PhD, University of Michigan

Research Interests:Sensory Neurobiology and Behavioral Ecology: Spectral and temporal filter properties of chemoreceptor cells in different receptor organs of the lobster. High resolution measurement and models of turbulent submarine odor plumes. Chemosensory orientation behavior: "Eddy-scale chemotaxis". "Robo-lobster", autonomous underwater vehicle designed to explore neural models of chemotaxis and to locate odor and pollution sources. Chemical signals in lobster courtship behavior. Laboratory and field studies. Evolution of brains and complex behavior of invertebrates. Funded by grants from NSF, NIH. Research facilities at the Boston University Marine Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole.


VINCENT E. DIONNE
Professor of Biology; PhD, University of Arizona

Research Interests: Chemosensory physiology: research on the cellular mechanisms underlying the detection and discrimination of odors by olfactory receptor neurons in vertebrates. Electrophysiological, anatomical, histochemical, and molecular biological techniques are used in the laboratory.

TIM GARDNER,Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D.- Rockefeller University, NY.
Research Interests: The Gardner lab studies the assembly and function of neural circuits, focusing on the well-defined pathways for vocal learning in songbirds. A first priority is the quantitative description of vocal behavior. The lab also explores physiological recordings and circuit perturbations in singing birds, in-vivo imaging, and theoretical models for self-assembly of neural systems.


WILLIAM D. ELDRED
Professor of Biology; Director of the Program in Neuroscience;
Professor in the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and
Biochemistry Program; Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems
Research Fellow; PhD, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Research Interests: We are doing multidisciplinary studies of the role of cGMP in synaptic mechanisms in retinal neurons. These studies employ immunocytochemistry, retrograde tracers, intracellular injections, pharmacology, electrophysiology, biochemistry and image analysis at the light and electron microscopic levels. Particular emphasis is placed on regional differences in the retina and the biochemical and pharmacological mechanisms for modulating cGMP in identified neurons.


MATT WACHOWIAK
Assistant Professor of Biology; PhD, University of Florida

Research Interests: My research focuses on how the nervous system encodes and processes information about odors. Odor coding starts with olfactory receptor neurons in the nose, where odor molecules activate specific combinations of receptor neurons. Which receptor neurons are activated depends on the chemical structure and concentration of the odor. We are interested in understanding how the pattern of receptor neuron activity encodes information about an odor as this information is transmitted to the brain, and also how this code is transformed as the information passes through different stages of processing in the brain.


JEN-WEI LIN
Professor of Biology; PhD, SUNY-Buffalo

Research Interests: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter secretion. Neurotransmitter secretion is a complicated process that involves ion channel gating and secretion steps. In addition, the mobilization and recycling of synaptic vesicles are needed to maintain the function of a synapse and to contribute to synaptic plasticity. Ultimately, an understanding of the secretory events means that one can establish a kinetic scheme for this multi-step process and identify molecules responsible for each step. Therefore, a combined electrophysiological and molecular approach is used in my laboratory to investigate these questions.


AYAKO YAMAGUCHI
Assistant Professor of Biology; PhD, University of California at Davis

Research Interests: We study how the CNS generate sexually differentiated behavior using vocalization of African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) as a model. We use behavioral, electrophysiological, anatomical, histochemical, and molecular biological techniques to understand how the central vocal pathways differ between males and females, and how these differences arise in response to steroid hormones.


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DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

H. STEVEN COLBURN
Professor, Biomedical Engineering;
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests:Dr. Colburn's research involves the application of signal processing, statistical communication theory, and computational modeling to the study of hearing and hearing impairments. He is particularly interested in the measurement and modeling of binaural hearing performance. He is also interested in human-machine interfaces for virtual environments and teleoperators.


JAMES J. COLLINS
Professor/Supervisor, Motion Analysis Laboratory;
PhD, University of Oxford (England)

Research Interests: Dr. Collins' research interests include developing and implementing techniques and concepts from nonlinear dynamics and statistical physics to study the neural control and biomechanics of posture and locomotion.


CARLO J. DE LUCA
Director/Founder, Neuromuscular Research Center;
Professor, Biomedical Engineering; Research Professor, Neurology;
PhD, Queen's University (Canada)

Research Interests: Professor De Luca's research centers on issues dealing with rehabilitation of the physically disabled; understanding how the brain and spinal cord control the individual fibers in a muscle, and groups of muscles, in healthy as well as dysfunctioned individuals; methodologies for objectively measuring muscle fatigue during voluntary efforts; methodologies for objectively evaluating the performance of low-back muscles.


ALLYN E. HUBBARD
Professor, Biomedical Engineering; PhD, University of Wisconsin

Research Interests: Professor Hubbard carries on research in the study of the electromechanical properties of the cochlea and the modeling of auditory function. His interests also include the application of microcircuit technology in areas such as brain probes, neuromorphic computer architectures, and networks with brain-like structure.


DAVID C. MOUNTAIN, Jr.
Professor, Biomedical Engineering; Associate Research Professor,
Otolaryngology, School of Medicine; PhD, University of Wisconsin

Auditory information processing, sensory biophysics, computer simulation, biomedical electronics, biomedical signal and image processing.

Research Interests: Dr. Mountain's research centers around experimental and theoretical studies of hearing function including: cochlear biomechanics, otacoustic emissions, auditory processing of complex sounds, and auditory evoked potentials. Professor Mountain also collaborates with researchers from the Boston University Marine Program who are studying olfactory physiology and behavior.

KAMAL SEN
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering; PhD, Brandeis University

Research Interests: Our laboratory studies the neural coding of complex vocal communication sounds in songbirds, a model system that shows striking parallels to humans. We use electrophysiological techniques to record neural responses. Theoretical methods from areas such as statistical signal processing, systems theory, probability theory and pattern recognition are applied to characterize how neurons in the brain encode natural sounds. We also use computational modeling to understand the processing of natural sounds, both at the single neuron and the network level.


HERBERT F. VOIGT
Professor, Biomedical Engineering; Associate Research Professor,
Otolaryngology, School of Medicine; PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Research Interests: Dr. Voigt is currently engaged in experimental and theoretical studies of the neuronal circuitry in the cochlear nucleus. He uses single- and multi-unit recording and analysis techniques to study the responses of neurons and neural nets to acoustic stimulation. Other interests include brainstem auditory evoked responses and neural modeling of the cochlear nucleus.



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SCIENCES

HELEN BARBAS
Professor; PhD, McGill University

Research Interests: Organization of the prefrontal cortex in primates. Research involves the use of tracers to map neural circuits associated with cognitive, mnemonic and emotional processes. Combined histochemical, immunocytochemical and molecular approaches are used to characterize specific receptors and intracellular markers in neurons involved in these circuits.


JUDITH SCHOTLAND
Assistant Professor; PhD, Northwestern University

Research Interests: The role of spinal neural networks in the organization of movements. Research uses complementary in vitro and in vivo neurophysiological, pharmacological, and anatomical techniques in simple vertebrate model systems to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms and networks responsible for the control of coordinated movements.


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PHYSICS: MOLECULAR BIOPHYSICS

KENNETH J. ROTHSCHILD
Professor of Physics; Associate Professor of Physiology;
Director, Molecular Biophysics Laboratory and
Molecular Biophysics Training Program; PhD,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests:Research in the Molecular Biophysics Laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of membrane protein based receptors and ion transport pumps. For this purpose, we are developing advanced spectroscopic methods based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), resonance Raman spectroscopy and laser flash spectroscopy. Systems under investigation in our laboratory include the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, a key component in neurotransmission; rhodopsin, the receptor in vision and bacteriorhodopsin, a light driven proton pump. Our research also involves the development of new in vitro and recombinant DNA methods for the site-directed incorporation of isotope labeled and non-native amino acids in proteins.


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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICS

M. CARTER CORNWALL
Professor; PhD, University of Utah

Research Interests:The Cornwall laboratory studies the mechanisms of visual transduction that relate to light- and dark-adaptation in the vertebrate retina. Specific areas of study are: mechanisms of visual pigment regeneration and dark adaptation of rods and cones; retinoid transport during light and dark adaptation; role of interphotoreceptor matrix retinoid binding protein (IRBP); calcium homeostasis during light- and dark-adaptation. Techniques used routinely in the lab are: extracellular single cell electrical recordings of rods and cones, microspectrophotometry of visual pigments, whole-cell voltage clamp recording (in collaboration with Dr. Hugh Matthews, University of Cambridge, England), and single cell confocal calcium imaging (in collaboration with Dr. Gordon Fain, UCLA).

J. FERNANDO GARCIA-DIAZ
Associate Professor; PhD, Universidad de Malaga, Spain

Research Interests:Electrophysiology of membrane transport; expression and regulation of ion channels; development of cochlear ganglion neurons.

GREGOR J. JONES
Assistant Professor; PhD

Research Interests:Photoreceptor mechanisms, especially the mechanisms of light and dark adaptation as measured electrically in isolated single photoreceptors.

SIMON LEVY
Associate Professor; PhD, Boston University

Research Interests:In many nerve cells, transient increases in intracellular free calcium concentrations (Cai) are caused primarily by influx through voltage-dependent calcium channels. Second messengers like inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) also have the ability to increase Cai through release from intracellular stores, or gating of calcium channels. The long-term goal of the Levy laboratory is to investigate mechanisms by which second messengers modulate the excitability of nerve cells by controlling their membrane permeability. The lab has developed suitable technologies to: i) measure single-channel activities; ii) simultaneously measure changes in intracellular calcium and membrane currents; iii) pressure-inject pharmacological agents to investigate putative pathways involved in neuronal excitability. The combination of these electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques has proven useful in gathering new and important information about nerve cell function.

There are four main projects: 1. Intracellular calcium regulation and detection in nerve cells. Effects of second messengers on internal calcium and membrane currents in nerve cells. 2. Role of calcium-induced calcium release in the excitability of the peptidergic neurons of Aplysia californica. 3. Role of calcium and inositol trisphosphate in phototransduction in Limulus photoreceptors. 4. Genetic Dissociation of phototransduction in Drosophila photoreceptors.


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PHARMACOLOGY

DAVID H. FARB
Professor and Chairman of Pharmacology; PhD, Brandeis University

Research Interests:Abnormal activation of amino acid receptors has been implicated in the etiology of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia as well as of seizure disorders. Ongoing studies in the Farb lab provide a strong foundation for constructing models of steroid hormone interactions with excitatory and inhibitory amino acid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. This knowledge may lead to new strategies for the treatment of psychiatric and cognitive disorders. Although there is widespread medical and nonmedical use (and abuse) of steroids, there is very little information concerning the long-term effects of steroid exposure on the central nervous system. Rational drug design in conjunction with structural computational chemistry will be used to understand ligand receptor and DNA transcription factor recognition.

Dr. Farb's lab studies focuses on the mechanism of action of neuromodulators and on the structure, function, and cellular dynamics of amino acid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. Amino acid receptor function can be controlled by direct modulation of receptor function on the time scale of milliseconds to seconds and by regulation of receptor expression by genomic mechanisms. The role of neuroactive steroids in the control of GABA, glycine, and glutamate (NMDA and non-NMDA) receptors is being investigated using a multidisciplinary approach that includes the techniques of molecular biology, patch-clamp neurophysiology, cell biology, and molecular neuroanatomy. We have isolated segments of DNA from the human genome that contain the genetic blueprint for the production of GABA receptors. By determining the sequences for the regions of the gene that control its expression, we hope to be able to identify receptor-specific transcription factors and to design new classes of therapeutic agents that may act by regulating the expression of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain.


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DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

HOWARD EICHENBAUM
University Professor and Director of Center for Neuroscience and the Center for Memory and Brain; PhD, University of Michigan.

Research Interests: My research involves explorations of the neural circuitry that mediates our capacities for cognition and memory. In particular, work in my lab focuses on the contributions of a system of brain structures including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Our approach to understanding this system entails a combination of neuropsychological testing to analyze how memory breaks down after selective damage to components of this system and electrophysiological recording to characterize how experiences are encoded by the activity patterns of neurons in these brain structures.

MICHAEL HASSELMO
Professor of Psychology; DPhil, Oxford University

Research Interests: Research in the Hasselmo laboratory focuses on physiological and computational analysis of the mechanisms of memory function in mammalian cortical circuits, including the role of activation in muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and GABAB receptors, and the role of oscillatory dynamics in the olfactory cortex and hippocampus. Students in the laboratory have the opportunity to learn a wide range of neuroscience research techniques, including electrophysiological recording from brain slice preparations of the hippocampus and piriform cortex, recordings of evoked potentials and unit activity in anesthetized and chronic preparations, detailed compartmental biophysical simulations of cortical circuits, and behavioral studies of cholinergic modulation in olfactory behavior. Articles from this laboratory have been co-authored by numerous trainees, many of whom have performed both computational modeling work and physiological research while working in the laboratory.


KATHLEEN M. KANTAK
Professor; PhD, Syracuse University

Research Interests: My research uses animal models to conduct translational research related to drug addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their co-morbidity. Using intravenous drug self-administration procedures in rats, my lab investigates how multiple memory systems regulate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior as well as how drug exposure influences the neurocognitive functioning of multiple memory systems. In addition, we investigate how cognitive-enhancing therapeutics may be useful to facilitate extinction learning for cues predictive of drug availability and if such treatment can attenuate drug relapse. Other studies focus on evaluating neurocognitive deficits of the frontal and medial temporal lobes as well as the striatum in rats with an ADHD phenotype and their response to medications. We have begun investigating comorbidity between ADHD and vulnerability to drug addiction and to determine if medications (stimulant and non-stimulant) increase or decrease this vulnerability. In the context of all this research, I collaborate with other investigators to conduct parallel studies in non-human primates, to perform image analysis or to understand the neurochemical and molecular correlates of these disorders and their treatment.
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