Glial cells are critical for maintaining a healthy nervous system. Key regulatory functions include synaptic remodeling, metabolic support of neurons, and protective immu [...]

Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating glia of the central nervous system, possess P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channels, but their function has not previously been characte [...]

This dissertation characterizes the effects of endogenous opioid peptide enkephalin on excitability in the hippocampus. It also investigates the regulation of enkephalin [...]

A barrier in designing safer CB1R drugs is our lack of understanding the circuit and tissue-specific involvement of AEA and THC in different CB1R-mediated pathologies, [...]

Neurons develop stereotyped morphologies in order to perform circuit-specific computations and functions. However, the developmental mechanisms which govern how these neu [...]

This dissertation characterizes the developmental remodeling of a subset of neurons in the Drosophila nervous system. We highlight how these neurons undergo remodeling of [...]

Astrocytes are glial cells in the central nervous system that form a vast electrical network connected via gap junctions, called astrocyte syncytium. My thesis focused on [...]

Myelination in the CNS is essential for neuronal function, and oligodendrocytes achieve this by wrapping axons with multilayered myelin sheaths. We identify FBXW7 as a ke [...]

The cerebellum has traditionally been associated with motor control. However, increasing evidence suggests that it also plays a critical role in cognitive processing. Des [...]

The insular cortex mediates diverse functions, including taste, interoception, decision making, and emotion regulation. However, the cellular and microcircuit mechanisms [...]