Kira Poskanzer, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA
Research: “Astrocytic modulation of primary visual cortex”
Research
“Astrocytic modulation of primary visual cortex”Kira Poskanzer Lab
The Poskanzer lab is in the Biochemistry & Biophysics Department at UCSF and studies the physiology of astrocytes and neurons in mammalian cortical microcircuits, primarily in visual cortex. We use multiphoton microscopy and electrophysiology to investigate how astrocytes and neurons communicate with each other at cellular and circuit levels. Our experiments are carried out in acute brain slices and in vivo, focusing on two major questions: How do astrocytes coordinate and synchronize neural circuits, and what cohort of neuronal signals can activate astrocytes? To accomplish these goals, we apply two-photon activatable compounds and measure the physiological responses of individual astrocytes. We are also building optochemical and hardware tools that will allow us to image the activity of populations of both astrocytes and neurons in the visual cortex of awake animals.
Publications
Kira Poskanzer, PhD – Publications, NCBIkiraposkanzerlab.org – Publications
