Gina Turrigiano, Ph.D.

Dr. Turrigiano studies mechanisms of homeostatic synaptic plasticity and the role of these stabilizing mechanisms in the development and function of the cortex. The goals of the proposed research are to determine how neuronal firing activity set points are built, and to understand the wide heterogeneity in the set points of individual neurons. These studies may have important implications for understanding neurological disorders that arise from aberrant circuit excitability such as epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. Furthermore, there may also be the potential to also delineate aberrant firing in disorders such as PTSD.