In-vivo Calcium Imaging

We’re using 2-photon microscopy to record neuronal activity with single-cell resolution in the hippocampus of awake, behaving mice. Taking advantage of cell type-specific viral targeting of various biosensors, our goal is to better understand how distinct populations of excitatory and inhibitory neurons are recruited during network oscillations in the healthy brain, and during pathological activity such as seizures in the epileptic brain.

Lab Members

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jordan Farrell

Instructor

Quynh Anh Nguyen

Research Scientist

Gergely Szabo

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jordan Farrell

Jordan is studying the role of the hypothalamus in executing exploratory locomotion and how activity is relayed to brain regions involved in spatial navigation. He is also interested in the networks underlying seizures and how the endocannabinoid system controls local neural activity and vascular physiology.

Instructor

Quynh Anh Nguyen

I utilize in-vivo and in-vitro electrophysiology, 2-photon calcium imaging, and EEG recording to study the role of inhibitory circuits and signaling molecules in epilepsy. Ultimately I want to help develop a comprehensive understanding of how neurons in the brain communicate with each other, the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying their proper functioning, and how dysfunction in critical components of neuronal communication leads to neurological disease.

Research Scientist

Gergely Szabo

Gergely is a Basic Life Research Scientist whose main focus is studying the structure and function of hippocampal inhibitory circuitry and its involvement in learning and memory, utilizing techniques such as electrophysiology, optogenetics, and imaging. Gergely received his MS in Biology from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Semmelweis University in Hungary, after which he joined the Soltesz Lab as a postdoctoral fellow.