Dendritic inhibition sculpts local excitability in the prefrontal corticothalamic circuit

Joe is interested in understanding the neuronal circuits underlying motivated behavior and their dysfunction in mental illness. He investigates electrophysiologic models of synaptic plasticity and dopamine signaling in the rodent basal ganglia. Joe received his BS in chemistry and BA in neuroscience at UC Berkeley, and went on to complete his MD and PhD at NYU. His doctoral studies in the lab of Dr. Adam Carter detailed the synaptic connections of the prefrontal cortex and thalamus using a combination of slice physiology and optogenetics.