Research Area: Neurobiology of circadian rhythm; genetics of behavior
Description of research:
- What are we looking for?: Genes that cause part of the difference in daily timekeeping between inbred strains of lab mice and how each gene influences timekeeping.
- What is our model?: Black mice and agouti brown lab mice compared turn out to be a good genetic model of human bipolar disorder. The ubiquitous enzyme carbonic anhydrase is one of the genes responsible for the daily timekeeping differences between these inbred strains of mice. So we also use carbonic anhydrase knock out mice. These special mice are interesting because they not only have acidic blood but they have slow daily timing.
- What are our tools?: In one of our projects we use state of the art tools to study ways in which pH is controled in brain neurons of mice missing carbonic anhydrase. In essence the studies in our lab include: animal behavior, classical mouse and molecular genetics, enzymology, and anatomy and physiology of the cental mouse clock in the hypothalamus.
Circadian, Clinical, Genetics
