Studies in neurobiology in the Division of Biological Sciences share a common interest in the early development and later function of the nervous system with an emphasis on the neural control of behavior. This central theme is approached from diverse perspectives, including sensory physiology, sensory-motor integration and regeneration, neuroethology, developmental neurobiology, molecular neurobiology, and neurogenetics. Areas of interest include the neural basis of communication, neuroendocrine control of sexual differentiation and behavior, and neural pathways that control movement.
Faculty
Mechanisms regulating neuronal development and physiology in vertebrates
The premise of my research is that we can learn from animals that overcome metabolic challenges in the brain to gain overarching insights into brain diseases. In my academic trajectory, I have been studying metabolic physiology across scales of organization, from whole animals all the way down to synapses.
Postdoctoral research: The brain requires a lot of energy to function, and if these requirements are not met, circuit dysfunction and neural death follow. Much like mammals, brain activity in American bullfrogs quickly fails in hypoxia. However, we described that after emergence from overwintering, circuits transform to function ~30-fold longer without oxygen using only anaerobic glycolysis for fuel. Following these findings, I investigate neurophysiological processes that transform brain function to maintain performance during oxygen deprivation, avoiding dysfunction and damage.
Molecular and cellular control of nerve development and disease
The goal of the Lin Brain Lab is to develop precision health approaches to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.
Circuit stability, energetics, plasticity, and respiratory physiology
Evolution and neuroethology of acoustic communication systems in insects and amphibians
Neural network plasticity as a result of injury and disease
Genetic dissection of synaptic plasticity, neural circuitry, and behavior in fruit flies