Timothy Currier

 Education

B.A., Neuroscience, Hamilton College

Ph.D., Neural Science, New York University

Postdoctoral Training 

Stanford University School of Medicine

Research Summary

Our brains contain billions of neurons that each perform precise computations on their synaptic inputs. This scale of computational diversity poses fundamental challenges for a developing animal. How does an immature neuron “know” what kinds of information it needs to process, or which computations it should perform? Are these computational instructions explicitly encoded in the genome, or do they emerge from a larger set of developmental processes? Our lab employs a wide range of techniques spanning developmental, molecular, and systems neuroscience to ask how circuit-level neural computations arise during development. We leverage the unrivaled resources available in the fruit fly visual system (and even create some of our own!) to explore how gene expression, synaptic connectivity, and spontaneous network activity work together to forge properly functioning circuits. By uncovering the fundamental building blocks of computation in the brain, we hope to inform new therapeutic avenues for developmental disorders of neuronal function, including autism and epilepsy.

Email: 
currier@psu.edu