In February 2021, after three and a half years Dr. Marik closed her lab and left her faculty position to join the National Institutes of Health.
Neural circuits are not hard-wired but modified throughout life based on experiences. When the delicate balance of plasticity is lost, the consequences may result in various disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia. The Marik lab aims to understand how disruption of key synaptic proteins impact neural circuits and ultimately behavior, using a variety of techniques including molecular biology, microscopy, optogenetics, social behaviors, learning and memory tasks. Our research will provide better understanding of how mutations in synaptic proteins impact complex behaviors and lead to novel therapeutics to alleviate disruptions in neural plasticity.