Madhu Kannan
Biography
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Angeline Dukes
Biography
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Research Interests:
Angeline Dukes is a first-generation college graduate who earned her bachelors degree from the Historically Black College/University, Fisk University. She then earned her masters and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Irvine. She is also the Founder and current President of Black In Neuro, an international organization dedicated to supporting Black scholars in neuroscience-related fields worldwide.
Helen Vuong
Biography
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Research Interests:
I am interested in how microbes in the gut can impact the brain. My lab uses mouse models to study how different microbiomes can shape how the brain develops, how neural circuits form to drive behavior, and how disruptions in brain development and function contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Thomas Naselaris, Ph.D.
Biography
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Research Interests:
The generative capabilities of the human visual system: Much of life is spent imagining or dreaming of internal images that one has never actually observed. Why is the human visual system so good at generating images, and how does this remarkable ability help us to see?
Lauren Slosky, Ph.D.
Biography
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Research Interests:
The focus of the Slosky Lab is on understanding how G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate pain and addiction-associated behaviors and how these receptors can be targeted for therapeutic benefit. Our long-term goal is to develop mechanism-based pharmacotherapies for stimulant and opioid use disorders and pain management regimens with reduced addiction potential.
Visual Neuroscience
Visual neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that has made fundamental contributions to cellular, developmental, and systems neuroscience. Although most of us take vision for granted, in fact it arises from a complex network of highly specialized neurons in both the retina and central nervous system. With our aging population, vision loss and blindness are becoming an increasing health care problem. According to the National Eye Institute (2015), it is estimated that one person in three has some form of vision-reducing eye disease by age 65.
Synaptic Plasticity and Learning
Recent research has demonstrated that there is a great deal more synaptic plasticity in the brain than was originally thought. The mechanisms that control synaptic plasticity and learning and memory are poorly understood. Understanding how to restore neural plasticity provides hope for those many neurological conditions, both developmental and adult onset. Many faculty in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience focus on understanding the neural mechanisms for plasticity that can result in a gain or loss of function.
Regenerative Medicine for Neural Systems
Regenerative medicine focuses on using stem cell biology to advance medical therapies for devastating disorders. To quote the Director of the Stem Cell Institute, Dr. Jakub Tolar, “with stem cells, we can rewrite the genetic code itself. We can create smart cells that effectively cure diseases in a way that was unimaginable not long ago.” The Minnesota Stem Cell Institute brings together all the stem cell faculty members across our large campus.
Neuroscience of Drug Abuse and Addiction
Addictive disease is a pervasive and growing problem in U.S. society. It contributes to the dissemination of AIDS and other diseases through drug use practices, and costs the nation more than $116 billion per year for health care, lost work productivity, and early death. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (20150, abuse of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco cost society $700 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity, and health care.
Neuroscience of Auditory and Vestibular Systems
Millions of individuals world-wide suffer from sensory system deficits, including reduction or complete loss of hearing as well as balance problems. As our population ages, these individuals face significant decreases to their quality of life, reduced work productivity, and social isolation. The cost of these disorders is huge. Research in sensory systems disorders is a strength of the University of Minnesota.