Led by Xiaoming Jin, PhD, research in this lab focuses on the organization and plasticity of neural circuits in the cerebral cortex, and the mechanisms of epileptogenesis following traumatic brain injury. These topics are investigated with a variety of techniques at molecular, cellular and circuit levels, including laser-scanning photostimulation combined with whole-cell patch-clamp recording, organotypic brain slice culture, gene gun transfection, time-lapse confocal imaging, in vitro and in vivo optogenetic stimulation.
Active Research
The goals of the Jin lab are to understand cortical plasticity and reorganization in the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic epilepsy and neuropathic pain, and to develop novel treatments and prevention for these diseases. A major direction is to examine the role of homeostatic activity regulation in the mechanism and treatment of posttraumatic epilepsy and neuropathic pain.