Research Interest: <p> Cellular and molecular aspects of neural signaling <p> Our brains accomplish (or sometimes fail at) their jobs by generating coordinated patterns of electrical signals in groups of nerve cells. Research in my laboratory focuses on the general question of how this coordination occurs. Circuits, single connections (synapses) and electrical properties particular to individual nerve cells combine to allow neurons to generate the specific firing patterns that ultimately result in thoughts, feelings and behaviors. My work concentrates on the cerebellar cortex, a region of the brain involved in coordinating movements and in refining them through practice. While a great deal is known about the firing patterns of particular types of cells in this part of the brain, we have a rudimentary understanding of how its circuitry generates these signals and modifies them during learning. <p> The simple structure of the cerebellar cortex offers a remarkable context for studying these issues. It is made up of 6 types of neurons whose connectivity and ultrastructure are known in detail. There is one output and there are only two major inputs to the cerebellum. Surprisingly, most of this connectivity can be preserved in a 0.4 mm thick slice preparation of the cerebellum. In the reduced preparation, the output can be easily monitored, and each input can be reliably stimulated. Finally, well-defined patterns of stimulation can be used to recapitulate some of the circuit changes that occur during learning in an intact cerebellum.