Niswender Laboratory

My research elucidates the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmission to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for treating psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and mood disorders. I am primarily focused on evaluating brain circuitry-specific changes observed in disease states and then determining the mechanisms whereby metabotropic glutamate receptors regulate various brain circuits using state-of-the-art approaches like slice electrophysiology, optogenetics, fiber photometry and in vivo behavioral pharmacology. My goal is to decipher and validate the utility of compounds targeting these receptors as potential therapies for treating neuropsychiatric disorders.