Bryan W. Luikart, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Physiology and Neurobiology
Dartmouth Medical School
We study the molecular mechanisms governing the formation of synapses. Neuronal activity impacts how newborn neurons integrate into functional synaptic circuits. This activity dependent sculpting of synaptic circuitry during development and at a slower pace in the adult, represents a type of synaptic plasticity whereby neuronal connectivity slowly changes over time.
We focus on performing stable, precise, and well characterized genetic manipulations in vivo. We then evaluate the functional impact of the genetic manipulation using whole-cell electrophysiology and imaging. Further, we employ a variety of in vitro systems to gain molecular insight into the physiologically relevant phenotypes we uncover in vivo.