Maricq Lab

We study the workings of the brain

In the play “The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore”, Tennessee Williams wrote, “Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going”. Memories, how we understand and experience the world, how we think, feel and act – all of these functions are made possible by neural circuits that are connected by synapses – specialized points of contact that enable information processing. Synapses are plastic – the strength of communication can change with experience – and this plasticity underlies learning and memory.

Our laboratory aims to gain mechanistic insights into how synapses function and how neural circuits control behavior. We take an interdisciplinary approach to these questions that combines genetic analysis in C. elegans with in vivo electrophysiological studies of neuronal function, optogenetic perturbations of neural circuits, confocal imaging, calcium signaling and studies of behaviors such as locomotion and navigation. Ongoing studies are focused on the following questions:

Synaptic Function: We have identified multiple novel-signaling molecules that contribute to synaptic function by modifying the function of AMPARs and NMDARs. Ongoing gene discovery efforts are aimed at the identification of novel proteins that contribute to synaptic signaling.
Trafficking of neurotransmitter receptors: We have discovered that kinesin motors mediate the delivery, and surprisingly, the removal and redistribution of synaptic AMPARs. Current studies are focused on addressing how AMPARs are allocated to synapses along dendritic trees and the role of trafficking in synaptic plasticity.
Neural circuits and behavior: All animals can navigate gradients of sensory information. We study the neurons and molecules that control navigation and error correction along odor gradients.
Synaptopathies: Many nervous system disorders are considered synaptopathies – a primary deficit in some aspect of synaptic function that is the underlying cause of specific neurological or psychiatric disorders. We are studying the function of evolutionarily conserved proteins that are implicated in aging and neurodegeneration.

We study the workings of the brain

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