Achievement

Graduate student and IGERT associate Alexis Webb, working with IGERT program faculty Erik Herzog, determined the ability of isolated neurons to generate oscillatory signals. These cells came from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the brain region most important for circadian rhythms throughout brain and behavior. Webb and colleagues found that although many neurons generated rhythmic output, no clear class of cells generated a consistent rhythm, suggesting that networked behavior across cells is required to sustain regular circadian oscillation. This work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2009.