Our Site

Visit our lab website: http://people.janelia.org/dudmanj/

Our Lab

Our lab uses a wide array of techniques with the goal of providing cellular mechanisms for systems level phenomena in the brain. Unlike many small labs we span a wide range of technical approaches from electrophysiology during behavior to subcellular two-photon imaging. For our work we seek talented people with existing skills in electrophysiology, behavior, optics, or, computation and a strong desire to combine multiple technical approaches. Inquiries about working with us can be sent directly to the lab by email. For interested undergraduates, our lab is a regular participant in the Janelia Undergraduate Scholars program.

Our Research

We focus on understanding how individual neurons in the mammalian striatum contribute to the sensorimotor integration necessary for reinforcement learning. It is our hope that this work will eventually shed light on the underlying biological dysfunction found in pathological disruptions of volitional action and learning that are characteristic of Parkinson's disease and addiction. To learn more about our research you can read an overview of our long term goals and recent progress here.

Recent Publications

PLoS Computational Biology 5(2):e1000290
Dudman JT and Nolan MF. Stochastically gating ion channels enable patterned spike firing through activity-dependent modulation of spike probability.

Neuron. 56(6):1076-1089
Tsay D, Dudman JT, and Siegelbaum SA. HCN1 constrains synaptically-evoked calcium events in distal dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Neuron. 56(5):866-79
Dudman JT, Tsay D, and Siegelbaum SA. A role for distal synaptic inputs: instructive signals for hippocampal synaptic plasticity.