Baljit Khakh, Ph.D.

Astrocytes - long considered simply the brain's glue – are now emerging as important regulators of neuronal function. Dr. Khakh’s lab will study the physiological functions of astrocytes in the basal ganglia striatal circuitry. The aim is to provide new information on the roles of astrocytes in the normal healthy brain and in diseases of the nervous system, including the processes that lead to the development of neurological disease. A major project in the lab seeks to investigate this possibility in the context of neuronal networks in the healthy brain, as well as for models of Huntington's disease.