Trimmer Lab: Research

My laboratory is interested in the neural processes that organize sensory and motor information. We use an insect (the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta) as our model system because it has a brain with fewer neurons, many of which can be identified and kept alive outside the animal. Currently we are pursuing three major projects:

	The range and specificity of nitric oxide signaling in the brain

	Some neurons signal by producing an unstable soluble gas named nitric oxide (NO). This unusual messenger was discovered only recently and comparatively little is known about its role in the brain. We have identified individual NO-producing and responding neurons in the living nervous system and our goal is to establish how they communicate. We are also studying how NO controls light production in the firefly lantern. This work has potential application in understanding how groups of neurons are coordinated and how the brain is damaged by a stroke or other traumatic injury. To carry out this research we use a wide range of techniques from molecular biology through biophysics to mechanical engineering. Modern biology is now in a position to cross traditional disciplines and recruit the expertise of physicists, mathematicians and engineers in trying to understand the complexity of living things.

	The structure and function of neuronal acetylcholine receptors

	These receptors mediate the transmission of sensory information into the brain. We study both nicotinic ion channels and muscarinic metabotropic receptors. Our findings could be relevant for alleviating nicotine addiction and for understanding epilepsy.

	The neural control of soft-bodied locomotion

	Unlike animals with hard skeletons, caterpillars do not have joints to restrict movements. They can crumple, compress and rotate body parts with virtually unlimited freedom. We are trying to understand how the nervous system controls these complex movements. These studies have potential applications in the design and control of a new type of flexible robot. Such robots could be used to navigate through pipelines or intricate structures such as blood vessels and air tubes.