Understanding the neurophysiological basis of brain disorders.

Substance-use disorders and affective disorders are major public health concerns in our society. We need new therapeutics that are effective and rapid-acting to tackle these conditions.

The research goal of the Juarez Lab is to understand how regulators of neuron activity contribute to neural circuit function in healthy and disease states. To do this, we combine innovative CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technologies with cutting-edge approaches that measure and manipulate neuron activity in mouse models of substance-use disorder and stress. We are especially interested in how ion channels that regulate intrinsic cellular excitability contribute to neural activity across circuits and behavior.