My lab is interested in the expression, trafficking, and localization of glutamate receptors in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (i.e. fruit fly). Glutamate neurotransmission is thought to be involved in process such as learning and memory as well as pathological process such as epilepsy, neurodegeneration, and excitotoxic cell death. The fly the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) contains glutamate-gated ion channels which are closely related to those found in the mammalian central nervous system, providing a powerful system to determine the function of specific molecules by analysis and investigation of mutant synapses.
