Dr. Jill R Crittenden

For Crittenden's post-doctoral research, she aims to employ a cross-disciplinary approach to study learning and memory. With pre-doctoral training in molecular genetics, Crittenden has joined Graybiel Lab to combine genetic expertise with the behavior and electrophysiology currently employed in the lab. Crittenden's colleagues have achieved multi-electrode recordings from the brains of behaving subjects, which, in combination with knock-out technology, creates a unique model system for the comprehensive analysis of behavior. She is currently designing experiments to disrupt genes which are expressed in the striatum, a brain region involved in motor learning. Phenotypic analysis of the resultant knock-outs, using electrophysiology and behavior, will provide molecular information regarding striatal function.