Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission
Research
Our main focus currently is on the following directions:
Investigating synaptic plasticity processes at the hippocampal mossy fiber synapses:
- Investigating molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity.
- Elucidating mechanisms of cAMP dependent synaptic plasticity.
- Correlating between synaptic plasticity to learning and memory processes.
Elucidating the mitigating effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models:
- Investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that are regulated following HBOT in AD mouse models.
- Exploring the physiological effect of HBOT on synaptic activity and plasticity and on blood flow.
Identifying early biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease (PD):
- Characterizing early steps in alpha synuclein aggregation.
- Investigating the effect of alpha synuclein aggregation on neuronal activity.
We employ a wide range of methods including: Electrophysiology, Slice recording, Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF), Super resolution microscopy (STORM, STED), Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), Molecular biology, Model simulation, Multi electrode array (MEA) recording, Immunohistochemistry and Behavioral tests.
