Tracey O. Hermanstyne, PhD

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

My overall goal as a researcher is to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the regulation of intrinsic neuronal excitability and how neurons, in a system, come together and coordinate specific behaviors. In particular, I am interested in identifying the molecular determinants and cellular mechanisms that underlie the rhythmic oscillations in neuronal excitability in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and I’m focused on understanding the physiological role repetitive firing rates play in adult SCN neurons in maintaining circadian rhythmicity in an intact animal.