The ability of neurons to dynamically establish and eliminate connections allows the brain to adapt behavior to the environment.  Dendritic spines facilitate this process by defining biochemical compartments that isolate individual synapses from their neighbors.  My research is directed toward understanding what causes some new dendritic spines to become stable and persist for days while the majority last only minutes to hours.  I'm interested in whether specific patterns of activity can induce new spines to stabilize.  To address this question, I use two photon microscopy and electrophsyiological techniques to probe the role of activity in the functional maturation of new dendric spines.

Publications:

Zito K, Scheuss V, Knott G, Hill T, Svoboda K (2009) Rapid functional maturation of nascent dendritic spines. Neuron 61, 1-12.