Mark
Schnitzer is Associate Professor of Biology and Applied Physics.
He is an affiliated faculty member of Bioengineering, full member of MIPS and Investigator, HHMI.
His research concerns
optical imaging and cerebellar neural circuits.
The Schnitzer lab has invented two forms of fiber
optic imaging, one- and two-photon fluorescence
microendoscopy, which enable in vivo imaging
of blood cells and neurons in deep brain tissues.
The lab is now developing microendoscopy technology,
studying how experience or environment alters
neuronal properties, and exploring clinical applications.
Much effort focuses on classical eyeblink conditioning,
a form of associative memory that depends on cerebellar
function. Many theories of such learning focus
on cerebellar Purkinje neurons, which the Schnitzer
lab has shown they can image in large numbers
in live mice. By combining imaging, electrophysiological,
behavioral, and computational approaches, the
lab seeks to understand cerebellar dynamics underlying
learning, memory, and forgetting.
