Cellular and molecular neuroscientists seek to understand the development and function of the nervous system at the level of individual molecules and macromolecular complexes.
This broad field encompasses researchers utilizing a variety of multidisciplinary approaches such as protein biochemistry, molecular cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, transgenesis, patch clamping, single and multiphoton microscopy, as well as other biophotonic-based methods to explore topics ranging from the structure and function of individual molecules such as ion channels to the molecular basis of behavior.
Some specific areas of focus include:
- axon guidance and regeneration
- cytoskeleton, growth cones, and microtubule motors
- synaptic transmitter release, plasticity, and excitability
- receptor-ligand interactions
- cell signaling and cell death
- transduction in the inner ear
- epigenetic mechanisms in homeostasis and disease
- visual processing in the retina
- signal transduction and behaviors of microglia
- molecular drivers of neurodegenerative diseases and aging
- the molecular basis of neuronal differentiation
