Areas of Interest
How does the mammalian brain encode, store and retrieve information? Ten words and a question mark are sufficient to spell out one of the most fascinating and complex questions of modern day neuroscience. In the broadest sense, this is the primary focus of our research team: to gain a better understanding of how we learn and remember.
The majority of our work is centered on a brain region known as the hippocampus. Named after the Greek word for seahorse, this structure has been previously been shown in humans to be required for the acquisition of new memories and has been demonstrated to be required for the consolidation of spatial memories in rodents.
To address questions regarding the cellular and molecular substrates of learning and memory, we make and use transgenic mice that have genetically engineered to either lack specific genes, over express specific gene products or produce gene products that have been functionally mutated.
Using a multidisciplinary approach that combines aspects of modern molecular biology, behavioral neuroscience and electrophysiology, the lab is currently pursuing two broadly themed research domains. Domain one encompasses a number of mouse models with targeted mutations in voltage gated K+ and Ca2+ ion channels intended to investigate how changes in neuronal excitability alter the ability of the central nervous system to encode, maintain and retrieve information. The second research domain is focused on the relationship between decreases in neuronal excitability and the cognitive impairment that accompanies normal aging. To approach this question, the laboratory is developing transgenic mouse models that mimic changes in neuronal function that are known to accompany aging.
Published Articles or Reviews
- Althaus, A.L., Moore, S.J., Zhang, H., Du, X., Murphy, G.G., and Parent, J.M., Altered synaptic drive onto birthdated dentate granule cells in experimental temporal lobe epilepsy. J Neurosci, 2019. 39(38): p. 7604-7614. PMC6750946.
- Cazares, V.A., Rodriguez, G., Parent, R., Ouillette, L., Glanowska, K.M., Moore, S.J., and Murphy, G.G., Environmental variables that ameliorate extinction learning deficits in the 129S1/SvlmJ mouse strain. Genes Brain Behav, 2019. 18(7): p. e12575. PMC6718342.
- Moore, S.J. and Murphy, G.G., The role of L-type calcium channels in neuronal excitability and aging. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 2020. 173: p. 107230.
- Ghoweri, A.O., Ouillette, L., Frazier, H.N., Anderson, K.L., Lin, R.-L., Gant, J.C., Parent, R., Moore, S., Murphy, G.G., and Thibault, O., Electrophysiological and Imaging Calcium Biomarkers of Aging in Male and Female 5XFAD Mice. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2020. 78: p. 1419-1438.
- Moore, S.J., Murphy, G.G., and Cazares, V.A., Turning strains into strengths for understanding psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, 2020. 25(12): p. 3164-3177. 32404949
- Rodriguez, G., Moore, S.J., Neff, R.C., Glass, E.D., Stevenson, T.K., Stinnett, G.S., Seasholtz, A.F., Murphy, G.G., and Cazares, V.A., Deficits across multiple behavioral domains align with sus Cazares, V.A. and Murphy, G.G., Pre- and Post-synaptic sites of plasticity., in Handbook of Amygdala Structure and Function, J. Urban and J.A. Rosenkranz, Editors. 2020, Academic Press: San Diego. p. 115-126.
- Stevenson, T.K., Moore, S.J., Murphy, G.G., and Lawrence, D.A., Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Central Nervous System Physiology and Pathology: From Synaptic Plasticity to Alzheimer's Disease. Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 2022. 48(03): p. 288-300.
- Rodriguez, G., Moore, S.J., Neff, R.C., Glass, E.D., Stevenson, T.K., Stinnett, G.S., Seasholtz, A.F., Murphy, G.G., and Cazares, V.A., Deficits across multiple behavioral domains align with susceptibility to stress in 129S1/SvImJ mice. Neurobiology of Stress, 2020. 13: p. 100262
For a complete list, please visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1dg2wcqznBMQd/bibliography/40442756/public/?sort=date&direction=descending