Faculty
Nelson Spruston
Professor
PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
Nelson Spruston
Dendritic integration in hippocampal pyramidal neurons
In the hippocampus, sensory information is integrated to provide a contextual map of experience with a strong spatial component. In addition, the hippocampus is a crucial structure for the formation of new declarative memories (including spatial memory). In my laboratory, we study the cellular processes that allow hippocampal neurons to carry out these functions and to change their as a function as a consequence of experience.
Research in my lab focuses on the excitable properties of CA1 dendrites and their role in synaptic integration. Dendritic excitability is likely to be a central factor in the process of synaptic integration, as well as in mediating activity-dependent plasticity that may be responsible for the function of the hippocampus during learning.
