The goal of my lab is to understand how physiological and behavioural challenges lead to long-term changes in neural circuitry. We focus on neurons that coordinate an organism's response to stress, with a particular interest in clarifying how the molecules released at the onset of a stressful stimulus leave a lasting imprint on how ‘stress-relevant' ciruitry functions. Within this context, we conduct experiments that will allow us to understand the fundamental rules that govern cell to cell communication within the hypothalamus and elucidate the molecular machinery that contributes to changes in synaptic function which, in turn, may be critical for changing network output.
