The University of Texas at Austin
 

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Faculty
Jonathan Pierce-Shimomura
Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Email: jonps@mail.utexas.edu
Website
Main Office: NMS 3.314
Phone: (512) 232-4137

Alternate Office: NMS 3.324

Mailing Address
The University of Texas at Austin
Section of Neurobiology
1 University Station C7350
Austin ,TX 78712-0248
Jonathan Pierce-Shimomura

Research Summary

We are currently focused on two issues: 1) What are the underlying causes and potential cures for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease? We hope to help create the first medicines that effectively treat individuals with these conditions so that they are empowered to reach their full potential in society. 2) How do different drugs such as ethanol and anesthetics affect our nervous system? The molecular mechanisms that underlie the effects for many drugs of benefit and abuse are often unclear in mouse models. By using the worm as a minimal system, we can rapidly identify which uncharacterized and novel molecules are responsible for behavioral responses to drugs. To study the genetic basis of behavior and disease, we combine genetic screens to identify genes involved in a behavior, in vivo electrophysiology and calcium imaging to study the function of identified neurons in the behavior, and image analysis tools to quantify the behavior.