Postdoctoral Fellow-MSH-30035-394
About the role
Department: Neuroscience. Physical work location: Hess Building, Level 10, Room 302, 1470 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029. PI/Supervisor: Xiaoting Wu (212-824-8973, xiaoting.wu@mssm.edu). Lab website: Wu Lab. Department website: Neuroscience Department. Administrative contact: Kayla Marevanhema, (212) 659-5926, kayla.J.Marevanhema@mssm.edu.
The project aims to identify neural circuitries and underlying synaptic plasticity mediating social memory in adaptive and maladaptive states, and to leverage these mechanisms to rescue social memory deficits in autism mouse models. Findings will inform therapeutic development for social memory deficits and related social deficiencies in autism.
Responsibilities
- Lead projects, design experiments, perform experiments independently, and prepare and publish results.
- Conduct social behavioral assays, stereotaxic surgeries, and miniscope recordings.
Social behavioral assay: Subject mice are placed in the middle chamber of the behavioral apparatus for 1 min, after which dividers are lifted and mice explore two side chambers for 5 min—one containing a familiar mouse, the other a novel mouse of the same sex. Location is tracked using a video tracking system (BIOBSERVE).
Stereotaxic surgery: Mice (4–7 weeks) are anaesthetized with intraperitoneal ketamine/dexmedetomidine, heads fixed in a Kopf stereotaxic apparatus, bilateral holes drilled (excluding midline structures), glass cannulas loaded with virus solution lowered to target depth, and 0.3–0.75 µl injected via microinjection pump (Harvard Apparatus) at 0.1–0.25 µl min⁻¹; atipamezole is administered intraperitoneally post‑surgery.
Qualifications
- PhD or equivalent in neuros