Research

My advisor is Gregory Handy, and my research is based on the intersection of applied mathematics, stochastic processes, and biological systems, particularly in theoretical neuroscience.

Glial Ensheathment of Inhibitory Neurons

So far, my work has focused on investigating the mechanisms shaping neuronal correlations, with an emphasis on how astrocytes and microglia, types of glial cells, impact neuronal interactions by wrapping around, or ensheathing, synapses. Glial cells are supportive cells in the central nervous system with multiple functions, such as pruning synapses, providing structural support, and regulating neurotransmission. We consider two general categories of neurons: excitatory which activate neurons within the network and inhibitory which suppress this activity. Inspired by findings from Haruwaka et al. (2024) that showed anesthesia-induced glial ensheathment of inhibitory synapses leads to neuronal hyperactivity, we are developing a multi-scale model replicating these results and predicting broader effects on neuronal dynamics (Garcia et al., 2025).