Circadian Patterning of Neuronal Activity and Behavior

University Of Maryland At Baltimore, Baltimore

Investigators

Abstract

Circadian patterning of neuronal activity and behavior Understanding how information is encoded in the nervous system is essential to understanding how animal behavior is generated. However, few model systems have well-characterized neural correlates that directly correspond to specific behavioral outputs. One exception is the generation of innate circadian rhythmicity. Daily behavioral rhythms (~ 24 hrs) are a universal trait of animals, vital for adaptation to the environment and overall fitness. In mammals, the principal circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. To understand how circadian time is encoded in the SCN and translated into circadian behavioral outputs, this project investigates how the daily pattern of neuronal activity in regulated. Using transgenic manipulation of ion channel expression and function, the consequences of fundamentally altering the daily rhythm of neural activity in the SCN will be investigated by electrophysiology and behavioral studies. Alteration of ion channel activity is predicted to change the expression of circadian behaviors. This project is expected to advance knowledge in how the brain controls innate circadian behavior, but more broadly, provides a novel approach for understanding the direct links between neural coding and the resultant behavioral effects. Students involved in this research will learn an integrative approach to biological function, from molecular-cell-circuit-system/behavior. In particular, training in electrophysiology, a discipline traditionally without adequate representation of women and minorities, is the cornerstone of the research project. The lab draws upon the inner-city Baltimore area both for student involvement and dissemination of major findings through local public outlets such as the Baltimore Sun newspaper and Maryland Science Center.