Illuminating the brain to improve mental health
Research Summary
We directly image neural circuits with single cell resolution in models for neuropsychiatric illness and treatment. Our projects focus on two leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide – major depressive disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. We use models of each grounded in human genetic findings and treatments. We image the activity of key brain circuits during the behaviors that matter most to the disease. We map how the genetic insults that predispose to disease disrupt neural activity during behavior and lead to the symptoms of disease. These insights provide a foundation for new approaches to treatment that we test in preclinical models.
We have active projects on depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and the role of serotonin in releasing plasticity in disease relevant brain circuits.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more or finding out about opportunities in the lab.
Miller JE, Miller BR, O’Neil DA, Yuste R. (2022) An increase in spontaneous activity mediates visual habituation. Cell Reports. 39(4):110751.
Paquelet GE, Carrion K, Lacefield CO, Zhou P, Hen R, Miller BR. Single-cell activity and network properties of dorsal raphe nucleus serotonin neurons during emotionally salient behaviors. Neuron. 2022 Aug 17;110(16):2664-2679.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.05.015. Epub 2022 Jun 13. PMID: 35700737.
Miller BR. A Mechanistic Study of p11 Reveals a Promising New Rapid-Action Antidepressant Target. Biol Psychiatry. 2020 Sep 1;88(5):e23-e24. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.06.016. PMID: 32792054.
Carrillo-Reid L, Yang W, Miller JE, Peterka DS, Yuste R. (2017) Imaging and optically manipulating neuronal ensembles. Annu Rev Biophys. 46:271-293.
Yang W, Miller JE, Carrillo-Reid L, Pnevnatikskis E, Paninski L, Yuste R, Peterka D. (2016) Simultaneous multi-plane imaging of neural circuits. Neuron. 89(2):269-84.
Miller BR, Hen R. The current state of the neurogenic theory of depression and anxiety. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015 Feb;30:51-8. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.08.012. Epub 2014 Sep 18. PMID: 25240202; PMCID: PMC4293252.
Miller JE, Ayzenshtat I, Carrillo-Reid L, Yuste R. (2014) Visual stimuli recruit intrinsically generated cortical ensembles. PNAS.111(38):E4053-61.
Shin JE, Miller BR, Babetto E, Cho Y, Sasaki Y, Qayum S, Russler EV, Cavalli V, Milbrandt J, DiAntonio A. SCG10 is a JNK target in the axonal degeneration pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Dec 26;109(52):E3696-705. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1216204109. Epub 2012 Nov 27. PMID: 23188802; PMCID: PMC3535671.
Miller BR, Press C, Daniels RW, Sasaki Y, Milbrandt J, DiAntonio A. A dual leucine kinase-dependent axon self-destruction program promotes Wallerian degeneration. Nat Neurosci. 2009 Apr;12(4):387-9. doi: 10.1038/nn.2290. Epub 2009 Mar 15.
Kang JE, Lim MM, Bateman RJ, Lee JJ, Smyth LP, Cirrito JR, Fujiki N, Nishino S, Holtzman DM. (2009) Amyloid-beta dynamics are regulated by orexin and the sleep-wake cycle. Science. 326(5955):1005-7.
Cirrito JR, Kang JE, Lee JY, Stewart FR, Bu G, Mennerick S, Holtzman DM. (2008) Endocytosis is required for synaptic activity-dependent release of amyloid-beta in vivo. Neuron. 58(1):42-51.
Kang JE, Cirrito JR, Dong H, Csernansky JG, Holtzman DM. (2007) Acute stress increases interstitial fluid amyloid-beta via corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) and neuronal activity. PNAS. 104(25):10673-8.
To see all publications, click here
Selected Publications
Meet the Team
Dr. Seung Yeon Ko
Post-doctoral Fellow
Dr. Başak Akdoğan
Post-doctoral Fellow
Dr. Miru Yun
Post-doctoral Fellow
Fabliha Hussain
Research Technician/ Lab Manager
Darvin Huang
Research Technician/ Programmer
Eunice Choi
Undergraduate
Allison Kleinstein
Undergraduate
Ellie Bae
Undergraduate
Linda Qin
Undergraduate
William Yu
High School Student
Maggie Zhou
High School Student
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Interested in imaging deep brain regions? Check out our new methods paper. We describe new approaches to correcting… https://t.co/wTfubTHxfY -
Lab website now live. https://t.co/3ox0r9oz42
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RT @dr_alexharris: Any [donkey] can kick down a barn… which applies equally well to THAT serotonin/depression review and my tweets abo… https://t.co/8a0Jf9PcKH
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RT @holtzman4: ApoE isoform– and microbiota-dependent progression of neurodegeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy… https://t.co/iCwHxJxgFW -
RT @BradleyRMiller: Interested in imaging deep brain regions? Check out our new methods paper. We describe new approaches to correcting… https://t.co/wTfubTHxfY
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RT @lucasmpinto: Please RT. My graduate student Peter Salvino @petersalvino has been missing since last night. Last seen in Lincoln… https://t.co/HEcmcQwL93
Contact us if you are interested in joining the lab.
