Single neuron activity can be studied during ongoing behaviors in intact animals. Limited behaviors are also studied in vitro using preparations that permit the use of cellular methods of analysis. Multiple neuronal recording, using sophisticated time analysis schemes, reveals interactions among cells in circuits. Brain metabolic activity is mapped to determine regional compartmentalization of function. Pharmacological assays and manipulations shed light on the underlying neurochemical actions at the cellular, regional or organismic level.
Neuroanatomical approaches establish patterns of connectivity among cells.
Computer modeling attempts to simulate behavioral circuitry. Problems under investigation at UCLA include sound recognition and production, homeostatic regulation, neuroendocrinology, rhythmic movements, changes in behavioral states as in sleep, the representation of spatial positions, and learning and memory. The cellular diversity required to form the nervous system involves many complex and highly regulated processes. A variety of developing organisms including invertebrates, such as Drosophila and C. elegans , and a wide range of vertebrates are used to investigate the role of pattern formation, cell type determination and neuron-specific gene expression in the formation of the nervous system. Examples of techniques used in projects at UCLA include molecular biology, genetics, in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, electron and confocal microscopy, and electrophysiology.