Stephan Brenowitz, Acting Chief, Section on Synaptic Transmission

Position:	Investigator
Research Areas:	Auditory Neuroscience, Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neuroscience
Research Levels:	Cell/Molecular Neuroscience, Systems Neuroscience
Research Approaches:	Brain Imaging, Molecular/Cell Biology, Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology
Research Note:	The Section on Synaptic Transmission investigates the synaptic and biophysical mechanisms that enable neurons to encode and process information. Specifically, we study mechanisms that enable computations in neural circuits of the auditory system. The general question we address is how local circuit interactions shape a neuron's response to physiologically realistic patterns of synaptic inputs, thereby encoding relevant features of sounds. Our experimental approach combines electrophysiology and optical techniques to study synaptic transmission and plasticity in the cochlear nucleus and auditory brainstem. These studies contribute to our understanding of how sensory stimuli are represented by neuronal activity and will enable improvements in treatment of hearing disorders.
NACS Status:	Adjunct
Contact:	NIDCD / NIH 9000 Rockville Pike, Rm 4152 / Bldg 50 Bethesda, MD 20892 301-496-6069 brenowitzs@nidcd.nih.gov http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/scientists/brenowitzs.htm