Caitlin D
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of Minnesota
Expertise
Neuroscience, biology
Bio
Hello! I'm Caitlin, a US-based neuroscience postdoctoral researcher at the University of California San Francisco. My research focuses on astrocyte-neuron communication in the brain, with a particular emphasis on how astrocytes are involved in large-scale network activity in the brain. My current project focuses on the role of astrocytes in anxiety-related behavior. In general, I'm very interested in how different brain cells work together to help our brains function! When I'm not in the lab, I love being active outside (soccer, running, volleyball), listening to live music, and hanging with my cats.Project ideas
Brain network activity
How do different cells in our brains work together to generate brain rhythms implicated in health and disease? Our brains hum at different frequencies when we go about our daily life - sleeping, thinking, performing, daydreaming. In this project, you will learn more about what generates and maintains these rhythms, regions of the brain important for these rhythms, and how these rhythms change in different disease states.
The neuroscience of anxiety-related mood disorders
What happens in our brains during a state of anxiety? What makes humans (and animals) anxious? Do we need anxiety? Turns out there are many different brain regions and cell types involved in anxiety-like states. In this project, you will dive into some of the leading hypotheses underlying anxiety and think about what happens when anxiety behaviors go from adaptive to maladaptive.
What can't astrocytes do??
Astrocytes are star-shaped non-neuronal cells in the brain and for a long time they were thought to be just support cells, but a few decades ago it was discovered they are way more than passive support players in the brain. In this project, you will learn more about the many functions of these amazing brain cells, how they interact with neurons, and how they contribute to proper brain function, behavior, and disease states.