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Concentration in Physiology, Neurobiology and Biomechanics
Neurobiology is the study of how nervous systems function. It is
currently one of the largest and fastest growing areas of biology.
At its most reductionist level neurobiology employs genetic and
molecular approaches and at it extends to the level of whole animal
behavior and social interactions.
Suggested Program of
Study and Appropriate Courses >
Faculty mentors:
Barry Trimmer
Eric Tytell
Michael Romero
Michael Levin
Associated faculty mentors not currently accepting graduate students:
Harry Bernheim
Trimmer Laboratory

Dr. Trimmer is interested in the control of locomotion and the neural
processes that organize sensory and motor information. He is the head of two
integrated research labs — the Neuromechanics Laboratory uses an insect
(the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta) as its primary model system
because it has a brain with fewer neurons and their activity can be monitored in
freely moving animals and in isolated parts of the central nervous system.
Manduca is used to identify how soft animals control their movements,
looking at the neural active underlying crawling and defensive striking. This
work also examine how a caterpillar "feels", what does it sense when it moves
around in the world? The Biomimetic Devices Laboratory focuses on
applying biological principles in the design, fabrication and control of new
types of machines, including soft robots. These robots can be 3D-printed and
used to test ideas about locomotion control and structural design. One of our
long-term goals is to "grow" robotic devices using a combination of biosynthetic
materials, cellular modulation, and tissue engineering. We are exploring how
invertebrate cell culture can be used to structure muscles and supporting
tissues on scaffolds of biomaterials.
Tytell Laboratory
Research in the Tytell laboratory focuses on understanding the neural control and biomechanics of
locomotion in fishes. We aim to understand how neural circuits, body mechanics, fluid dynamics, and
sensory systems work together to allow animals to move effectively through complex and unpredictable
environments. The work is highly interdisciplinary, integrating neuroscience, sensory and muscle
physiology, and functional morphology with quantitative, computational, and engineering techniques.
We also use comparative techniques to understand the evolution of functional differences in
locomotory performance in vertebrates.
Romero Laboratory
Work in the Romero laboratory integrates several levels of
physiological regulation in examining the adaptive role of stress
responses in wildlife populations. The experimental subjects are
wild birds and mammals and captive starlings and house sparrows.
This research consists of intimately intertwined laboratory and
field studies in the areas of physiology, ecology, and neuroscience,
all with the goal of increasing our comprehension of the causes and
effects of stress.
Levin Laboratory
The capacity to generate a complex organism from the single cell of
a fertilized egg is one of the most amazing qualities of
multicellular animals. The processes involved in laying out a basic
body plan and defining the structures that will ultimately be formed
depend upon a constant flow of information between cells and
tissues. The Levin laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms cells
use to communicate with one another in the 4-dimensional dynamical
system known as the developing embryo, and the flow of information
necessary for an injured system to recognize what structures must be
rebuilt. Through experimental approaches and mathematical modeling,
we examine the processes governing large-scale pattern formation and
biological information storage during animal embryogenesis and
regeneration. Our investigations are directed toward understanding
the mechanisms of signaling between cells and tissues that allows a
biological system to reliably generate and maintain a complex
morphology. We study these processes in the context of embryonic
development and regeneration, with a particular focus on the
biophysics of cell behavior. In contrast to other groups focusing on
gene expression networks and biochemical signaling factors, we are
pursuing, at a molecular level, the roles of endogenous voltages, pH
gradients, and ion fluxes as epigenetic carriers of morphological
information. Using gain- and loss-of-function techniques to
specifically modulate cells' ion flow we have the ability to
regulate large-scale morphogenetic events relevant to limb
formation, eye induction, etc. While our focus is on the fundamental
mechanisms of pattern regulation, this information will also result
in important clinical advances through harnessing the biophysical
controls of cell behavior.
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