https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0846-139X
Overview
The long term goal of our laboratory is to understand at a cellular/molecular level how neuronal activity regulates the formation and maturation of synapses during brain development, and ultimately to use genetic model systems to understand how defects in this developmental process lead to cognitive dysfunction.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology
·
2025 - Present
Neurobiology,
Basic Science Departments
Professor of Neurobiology
·
2020 - Present
Neurobiology,
Basic Science Departments
Professor of Cell Biology
·
2022 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
·
2008 - Present
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences,
University Institutes and Centers
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
·
2015 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Scholarly Works
Transcriptional plasticity of ventral tegmental area neurons induced after cessation of chronic cocaine exposure is required for incubation of cocaine seeking.
Journal article bioRxiv · July 5, 2026 Chronic cocaine triggers changes in brain function that persist long after drug taking has ceased. Relapse to substance use during abstinence can be triggered by drug-associated cues, implicating the drug-free period after chronic cocaine as a time when th ... Full text Link to item CiteCRISPR inhibition of activity-dependent Arc expression in the adult mouse brain has limited effects on plasticity in visual cortex and nucleus accumbens.
Journal article bioRxiv · April 29, 2026 Neuronal activity drives long-lasting change in circuit function by inducing the expression of gene products that modulate the function of synapses. Arc is one of the most robustly activity-regulated neuronal genes, being induced broadly in neurons by a wi ... Full text Link to item CiteGenetic Mechanisms of Experience-Dependent Neuronal Plasticity.
Journal article Annu Rev Genet · November 2025 The brain has a remarkable ability to adapt its function in response to both environmental and internal cues. The cellular composition of the brain is largely static after birth; thus, persistent experience-dependent changes in brain function depend on alt ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2026 - 2031Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031Genetics and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031View All Grants
Education
Harvard University ·
1998
M.D.
Harvard University ·
1998
Ph.D.
Cornell University ·
1989
B.A.