Striatal development & plasticity
The striatum is the key integrator of nigral, cortical and thalmic input to the basal ganglia. Believed to work as a 'special advisor' to guide action selection, the striatum helps the brain decide whether something is a good idea, based on previous outcomes. We are interested in how and when the connections that encode this information are formed, changed and maintained.
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We combine immunofluorescence imaging and electrophysiology studies in co-cultured neurons to study fundamental processes. Brain slice physiology, optogenetics and imaging help us understand how these processes regulate connectivity in the intact brain as circuits develop, mature and age.
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— Example shown; a highly processed immunofluorescence confocal image of a striatal medium sized spiny projection neuron (green; GFP fill flasecoloured blue) grown in co-culture with cortical neurons forming excitatory synapses onto the striatal cell (red; VGluT1 presynaptic vesicle stain). Confocal by Naila Kuhlmann