Neuroplastic mechanisms underling learning and memory in the zebrafish brain

We are studying the mechanisms of plasticity within neural circuits that adapt behavior during learning. To do this, we exploit the advantages of the larval zebrafish system, focusing on visual behaviours and habituation paradigms, and using genetic/transgenic approaches, high-throughput behavior analysis, and functional imaging/microscopy. Ongoing projects examine the roles of neurohormones, the effects of genetic models of human diseases that lead to motor and learning deficits, and the effects of ethanol and potentially other addictive substances on plasticity processes.