Title:

Using novel opto-physiology tools to study neural circuit function and dysfunction

Abstract:

Development of the nervous system proceeds through a set of complex checkpoints set by interactions between genes and early experience. Balance of cellular and synaptic excitation and inhibition plays a key role in refining neural circuit development and plasticity and is disrupted in many neurological disorders. 

In this talk, I will highlight key mechanisms that contribute to the such processes, and will focus on recently developed neuroengineering tools that made bottom-up cellular and molecular and top-down circuit-level investigations feasible. I will also discuss how these physiological features can be used as a biomarker for designing novel therapeutics in neuropsychiatric disorders. 

Time and Venue:

Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, January 6th, 2016