Research

The lab is interested in understanding how neuronal circuits operate.  We use sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Nudipleura) because they have fairly simple brains and simple behaviors.  We can work out the neural mechanisms for these behaviors at the cellular level.  Furthermore, because there are many species with similar nervous systems, we can compare the neural circuits in these species to learn about the evolution of neural circuits and behavior.

We are looking for PhD students and postdocs to join our team

 Extrinsic and Intrinsic Neuromodulatory Neurons:
My journey from GPR to DSI to Si1

Stomatogastric meeting March 19, 2021

The Berghia Brain Project

BRAIN meeting, March 25, 2020

We have funding from the National Science Foundation NSF IOS 2227963 to study multisensory integration by the rhinophore complex.  

We also have funding from NIH R01NS133654-01 to use a connectomics approach to study life-long neurogenesis.

We have previous funding from  NIH BRAIN initiatiative U01-NS108637 and U01 - U01NS123972. Read more...

We had a grant from the National Science Foundation. NSF-IOS-1455527 "Neural Mechanisms underlying Evolvability of Behavior" in collaboration with Andrey Shilnikov at Georgia State University. The goal was to compare swim circuits in several species and to model the circuits. Read more...

Prior funding for our research has come from  the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the March of Dimes Foundation (MOD).  We also have had local funding at GSU from Brains & Behavior and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience.

Previous grants include: NSF- IOS-1120950, NSF IOS-1011476, NSF IOS-0814411, NSF IIS-0827418, NIH R21 MH76753, NSF IOB-0445768, NIH R01-NS035371, NIH R01-MH49563, March of Dimes 6-FY14-441.