Stephen Traynelis, Ph.D.

Dr. Traynelis’ lab will use electrophysiological, molecular, and structural approaches to probe multiple aspects of excitatory synaptic function that are relevant for neurological disease. The lab focuses on using pharmacological tools to study how glutamate-activated NMDA receptors mediate a calcium-permeable component of excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. The goal of this research is to gain insight into the treatment of a variety of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.