Neural Circuits and Behavior Research Group

The Challenge

How the properties of neural circuits in the brain give rise to behavior has always puzzled biomedical researchers. The dysfunction of neural circuits underlies a wide range of human brain disorders, including degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression.

The Innovation

At the forefront of modern neuroscience, UC San Diego established the Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior (CNCB), a nexus of biology and medical research leading efforts to:

• Explore the biology of neural circuits
• Understand the development and organization of neural circuits
• Define the elements and processes essential to normal brain function
• Identify the changes that characterize neurological disorders

Our Approach

UC San Diego is using a multidisciplinary approach to unravel neural circuit properties by combining expertise at the molecular, cellular, systems, and behavioral levels.

Enriched by the strong neuroscience community in San Diego, the UC San Diego Neurosciences Graduate Program, and the UC San Diego Health, the Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior can seamlessly integrate discoveries at the molecular level with advances in cognitive sciences and clinical treatments.

Research areas of interest include but are not limited to:

• Mouse genetics to create disease models
• Neural circuits underlying behavior
• Advanced optical approaches to image and manipulate neural circuits