Project Overview
This project investigates the molecular and neural network mechanisms that govern learning, memory formation, and cognitive flexibility. Using advanced electrophysiological, behavioral, and systems neuroscience approaches, we identify key regulatory proteins and brain signaling networks that coordinate memory encoding, retrieval, and adaptation to environmental challenges. The research aims to establish a mechanistic framework linking neural circuit dysfunction to cognitive decline, stress vulnerability, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Research Focus
- Molecular Neuroscience
- Synaptic Plasticity
- Neurodegeneration
- Systems Neurobiology
- Computational Neuroscience
Experimental Approaches
- Protein interaction network analysis
- Electrophysiology
- Hippocampal neuronal cultures
- Kinase signaling analysis
- Amyloid-beta neurotoxicity models
- Computational neural network modeling
Principal Investigator: Prof. Izhak Michaelevski
Molecular & Functional Neurobiology Lab
Clinical Relevance
- Identification of neural network biomarkers associated with early cognitive impairment and memory decline
- Discovery of electrophysiological signatures that may support early diagnosis of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders
- Development of novel therapeutic targets within memory-related signaling pathways and brain circuits
- Improved understanding of how stress vulnerability contributes to cognitive dysfunction and impaired memory processing
- Advancement of precision neurology and psychiatry through network-based approaches to cognitive disorders
Recent publications:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40699122/
M Kabirova, M Reichenstein, N Borovok, A Sheinin, D Gorobets, I Michaelevski, Abl2 Kinase Differentially Regulates iGluRs Current Activity and Synaptic Localization, Cell Mol Neurobiol., 2023 Aug;43(6):2785-2799.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36689065/