Synapses are incredibly diverse. They can be excitatory or inhibitory, highly active or rarely active, hard-wired or plastic. These are only a few differences! The diversity of synapses is only beginning to be understood. 

Some ideas for this project include:
1) studying the ways in which synapses vary and what molecules might contribute to this variation 
2) analyzing molecular mechanisms of learning and memory (much of learning and memory stems from changes at the synapse!)
3) choosing a candidate synaptic molecule and conducting a literature review on its known functions

Molecular architecture: how is a synapse built?

The way our neural circuits are organized determines much of how we perceive and process the world around us. Our visual system, for example, includes neuronal receptive fields that respond to changes in light. This can result in funny perceptual phenomena such as the Hermann grid illusion

Some project ideas include: 
1) Investigate the mechanisms by which a specific illusion is created 
2) Analyze how our brain wiring influences our sensory perception of artwork.

The neuroscience of illusions

Molecular neuroscience of memory, vision neuroscience, neuroscience and art, color vision, neural circuit wiring, synapse formation, synaptic plasticity, neurodegenerative disorders, neuroscience of PTSD