1. Hippocampal circuits in cognitive and affective behaviours:
The hippocampus is a brain region that is critical for episodic memory, spatial navigation, and providing contextual information relevant to different emotional states. My research is focused on the dentate gyrus subfield of the hippocampus because it is the main input to the hippocampus and acts as a key relay station to other hippocampal subfields. Dentate granule cells are the main excitatory cell population in the dentate gyrus and numerous studies have shown that they are necessary for hippocampal functions, such as learning, memory, and emotion.

A second excitatory cell population in the dentate gyrus are known as mossy cells (MCs) directly regulate granule cell activity and therefore MCs have also been implicated in diverse hippocampal functions, such as learning, memory, novelty detection, and emotion. However, MCs have been historically understudied due to a lack of cell-selective tools. Recent advances in genetically modified mice and cell-selective techniques now provide researchers with the tools necessary to investigate how MCs influence hippocampal function. My research program will evaluate the functions of MCs in hippocampus using diverse techniques, including behavioural testing, circuit manipulations, and electrophysiological recordings.

2. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (mechanisms & treatment):
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of adult epilepsy and is characterized by spontaneous unprovoked seizures and debilitating cognitive and behavioral comorbidities. Approximately 33% of patients with TLE are resistant to current treatments, which emphasizes the need to develop new and effective therapeutic treatments. Due to experimental limitations in the human population, researchers often use animal models to study the neurobiological mechanisms of TLE and test novel therapeutic approaches. Experimental evidence from rodents and brain recordings from humans have strongly implicated the dentate gyrus subfield of the hippocampus as a critical region for seizure generation. My research program will use a combination of stereotaxic surgery, EEG recordings, circuit manipulations, biochemistry, electrophysiology, and microscopy to a) identify the specific cells, circuits, and proteins in the dentate gyrus that cause seizures to occur and b) test new therapeutic treatments on these targets to determine if interventions can prevent or ameliorate seizure activity.