Dr Jimena Berni

Jimena Berni

University position

Downing College Henslow Research Fellow in Zoology

Departments

Department of Zoology

Home page

http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/zoostaf...

Research Theme

Developmental Neuroscience

The Cambridge Neuroscience Community

Interests

My research is concerned with the way the neuronal network underlying locomotor behaviour assembles during embryonic development. In particular I am focussing in the mechanisms that contribute to the stability and reliability of the neuronal circuits function even in the face of natural or genetically induced variability. I work with the fruit fly Drosophila and I combine a range of genetic, neurobiological and anatomical techniques to attack this problem at several levels - from genes and neurons to circuits and behavior.

Research Focus

Keywords

development

locomotion

neural circuit

homeostasis

Drosophila

Clinical conditions

No direct clinical relevance

Equipment

Behavioural analysis

Calcium imaging

Confocal microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy

Immunohistochemistry

Microscopy

Collaborators

Cambridge

MIchael Bate

Matthias Landgraf

Associated News Items


    Key publications

    Gjorgjieva J, Berni J, Evers JF, Eglen SJ (2013), “Neural circuits for peristaltic wave propagation in crawling Drosophila larvae: analysis and modeling.” Front Comput Neurosci 7:24 Details

    Berni J, Pulver SR, Griffith LC, Bate M (2012), “Autonomous circuitry for substrate exploration in freely moving Drosophila larvae.” Curr Biol 22(20):1861-70 Details

    Pulver SR, Berni J (2012), “The fundamentals of flying: simple and inexpensive strategies for employing Drosophila genetics in neuroscience teaching laboratories.” J Undergrad Neurosci Educ 11(1):A139-48 Details

    Publications

    2013

    Beckwith EJ, Gorostiza EA, Berni J, Rezával C, Pérez-Santángelo A, Nadra AD, Ceriani MF (2013), “Circadian period integrates network information through activation of the BMP signaling pathway.” PLoS Biol 11(12):e1001733 Details

    2011

    Depetris-Chauvin A, Berni J, Aranovich EJ, Muraro NI, Beckwith EJ, Ceriani MF (2011), “Adult-specific electrical silencing of pacemaker neurons uncouples molecular clock from circadian outputs.” Curr Biol 21(21):1783-93 Details

    2010

    Berni J, Muldal AM, Pulver SR (2010), “Using Neurogenetics and the Warmth-Gated Ion Channel TRPA1 to Study the Neural Basis of Behavior in Drosophila.” J Undergrad Neurosci Educ 9(1):A5-A14 Details

    Pérez MM, Schachter J, Berni J, Quesada-Allué LA (2010), “The enzyme NBAD-synthase plays diverse roles during the life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster.” J Insect Physiol 56(1):8-13 Details

    2008

    Berni J, Beckwith EJ, Fernández MP, Ceriani MF (2008), “The axon-guidance roundabout gene alters the pace of the Drosophila circadian clock.” Eur J Neurosci 27(2):396-407 Details

    Fernández MP, Berni J, Ceriani MF (2008), “Circadian remodeling of neuronal circuits involved in rhythmic behavior.” PLoS Biol 6(3):e69 Details

    Rezával C, Berni J, Gorostiza EA, Werbajh S, Fagilde MM, Fernández MP, Beckwith EJ, Aranovich EJ, Sabio y García CA, Ceriani MF (2008), “A functional misexpression screen uncovers a role for enabled in progressive neurodegeneration.” PLoS One 3(10):e3332 Details

    2003

    Berni J, Rabossi A, Quesada-Allué LA (2003), “Phloxine B effect on immature stages of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) (Wiedemann).” J Econ Entomol 96(3):662-8 Details