This laboratory is involved in studies of biological rhythms and reproductive physiology. Current research focuses on three fossorial rodent species. The neuroendocrine and behavioral mechanisms by which the reproductive hierarchy and social structure of the colony is established and maintained in these species are also studied. This laboratory's primary research goal is to understand how voltage-gated calcium channels and the calcium signal they generate in neurons and cardiac and skeletal muscle are regulated by the cytoskeleton and associated signaling proteins. Molecular, physiological, and cell biological approaches are applied to this question, examining both heterologously expressed ion channels and those in their native tissues.
Research focuses on two areas.
First, the biophysical mechanisms of ion channel permeation and gating are explored by combining molecular techniques with electrophysiological analysis of channel function. Second, the physiological and biochemical modulation of ion channel function is examined, with emphasis on the role of intracellular calcium and pH on ion channel activity. Studies are performed on isolated neurons and transfected channels, using patch-clamp, photometric, video imaging, and molecular techniques. Research in the laboratory focuses on understanding mechanisms that direct development of the neocortex. Currently, a combination of molecular genetics, patch clamp electrophysiology, and cell culture are being used to study the mechanisms that regulate neurogenesis in the cerebral cortex.