Functional interaction between molecules and behaviors in healthy and diseased brain

The central goal of the Lu laboratory is to understand actions of molecules in the brain in the context of synapses, circuits and behaviors. Specifically, the lab is using a combination of proteomic, molecular, cellular, genetic, electrophysiological, circuit and behavioral approaches to identify molecules and pathways critical for synapse development and function, gain deep mechanistic insights into their actions in vitro and in vivo, and eventually apply the knowledge at the molecular and cellular levels to tackle complex questions such as behavior and disease.

Currently the lab is using GABAergic synapses in rodents as the model system, with three considerations in mind: 1) biology and physiology of GABAergic synapses are complex but greatly understudied; 2) GABAergic system is important in almost every aspects of brain physiology and dysregulation of GABAergic system has been implicated in pathogenesis of numerous brain disorders; 3) GABAA receptors are prolific targets for a number of clinical, therapeutic or recreational drugs that are widely used to treat anxiety, sleep disorder, depression, pain and epilepsy or to induce general anesthesia. Generally, projects in the lab are typically developed through extensive discussion, brainstorming and pilot experimentation, instead of being predetermined. Ongoing projects in the lab include,

1. Molecules and pathways critical for synapse development/transmission and their roles in animal behavior

2. Novel GABAA receptor auxiliary subunits and development of new GABAA receptor psychopharmacology

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/lulaboratorynih/research