Kamran Khodakhah Ph.D.
Department Chair, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience
(neuroscience category)
Cerebellar physiology and function; Motor coordination and movement disorders; Cerebellar contribution to non-motor functions, Autism, schizophrenia, addiction and migraine; Neuronal Excitability and Synaptic transmission
The goal of our laboratory is to understand the role of the cerebellum and basal ganglia in motor function and in movement disorders. Of particular interest to us is not only to understand the role of each structure in motor control, but also the manner in which they communicate to coordinate and complement each other. We approach these questions from both basic science and clinical perspectives. We use a combination of techniques, from behavioral studies to imaging and two photon microscopy and electrophysiology (both in vitro and in vivo). Our studies take advantage of normal and transgenic animal models.
Selected Publications
Calderon DP, Fremont R, Kraenzlin F, Khodakhah K. (2011) The neural substrates of rapid-onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism. Nat Neurosci. Mar;14(3):357–65.
Dizon MJ, Khodakhah. (2011) The role of interneurons in shaping Purkinje cell responses in the cerebellar cortex.K. J Neurosci. Jul 20;31(29):10463–73.
Alviña K, Khodakhah K. (2010) The therapeutic mode of action of 4-aminopyridine in cerebellar ataxia. J Neurosci. 26;30(21):7258–68.
Walter JT, Khodakhah K. (2009) The advantages of linear information processing for cerebellar computation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106(11):4471–6
Alviña K, Walter JT, Kohn A, Ellis-Davies G, Khodakhah K. (2008) Questioning the role of rebound firing in the cerebellum. Nat Neurosci. 11(11):1256–8.
Walter JT, Khodakhah K. (2006) The linear computational algorithm of cerebellar Purkinje cells. J Neurosci. 13;26(50):12861–72.
Walter JT, Alviña K, Womack MD, Chevez C, Khodakhah K. (2006) Decreases in the precision of Purkinje cell pacemaking cause cerebellar dysfunction and ataxia. Nat Neurosci. 9(3):389–97.