Dr. Cori Bargmann is the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor in the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior at Rockefeller University. Bargmann developed the Brain Research Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, which researches the root causes of conditions such as Alzheimer’s and autism by analyzing the connections between brain function and behavior.
Genes and neurons affect one’s behavior.Caenorhabditis elegans, a worm with only 302 neurons, exhibits great sophistication in its behaviors. Using C. elegans as a model, Cori Bargmann’s laboratory characterizes genes and neural pathways that allow the nervous system to generate flexible behaviors.
Bargmann is able to manipulate certain genes and observe how that affects changes in behavior. In one particular study, Bargmann manipulated a gene that caused male worms to bumble around while trying to mate, which ultimately caused them to fail.
Cori Bargmann is uncovering the causes of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and autism.
FEMISCIENCE 