The basics of neural communication is conserved across species, with neurotransmitters acting as messengers across synapses. My work focusses on the receptors for these neurotransmitters and understanding their diversity and function with the nervous system of the model organism C. elegans. The nematode C. elegans is a powerful model organism, having a small and completely mapped nervous system and genome, allowing us to probe the detailed mechanisms of these receptors within a whole organism. I am particularly interested in ion channel receptors and understanding the way in which their balance at the synapses effects circuits and learning.
