Dr Elisa Galliano

Interests

The ability of nerve cells to plastically modify themselves is one of the characteristics that make the brain millions of times more powerful and capable of learning than any supercomputer. I am particularly interested in the ways in which, during both development and adulthood, the brain responds to sensory stimuli and uses such experiences to flexibly modify itself at a cellular level. This process, called neuronal plasticity, is fundamental, as it is thought to be the molecular basis of behaviours such as network development, learning, memory, and sensory processing.

The lab’s main aim is to further study the different types of neuronal plasticity during adulthood and development, how they combine within individual cells at different stages of their lifetime, and how they impact on network processing as a whole.

Research Focus

Equipment

Behavioural analysis

Calcium imaging

Confocal microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy

Intracellular recording

Microscopy

Whole cell patch clamp