- August 26, 2022
Andrea Cuentas-Condori Named 2022 Hanna Gray Fellow
- April 14, 2022Source: YaleNews
Colón-Ramos Awarded Germany’s Humboldt Prize
- February 24, 2022Source: YaleNews
How neurons find their place
- January 26, 2022Source: YaleNews
How the Brain Knows When to Take Out the Trash
Welcome to the Colón-Ramos Lab
Overview
A fundamental question in neuroscience is how synapses are assembled in living animals to produce behaviors and store memories. Our lab is focused on this question and uses the nematode C. elegans to examine the cell biological mechanisms by which synapses are precisely assembled during development, maintained during growth and modified during learning to store memories.
video: Cell biology of the synapse and behavior in C. elegans
Cell biology of the synapse and behavior in C. elegans
https://www.ibiology.org/neuroscience/neuronal-synapse/
Projects
We can scrutinize the interplay between the cell biology of the synapse and behavior at three levels:
- During development, neurons contact many potential synaptic partners, yet connect only to a selected subset. What are the the cellular and molecular mechanisms that instruct this precise assembly of synapses in vivo?
- After synapses are specified, their relative positions and functional properties must be maintained to ensure proper circuit function. What are the mechanisms that maintain synaptic positions and synaptic function as animals grow and age?
video: Mechanisms of neuronal synapse assembly and function
Mechanisms of neuronal synapse assembly and function
https://www.ibiology.org/neuroscience/neuronal-synapse/#part-2
- During certain behaviors, experiences persist as memories. How does the cell biology of the synapse encode memories?
video: Actuating memory: how C. elegans remembers
Actuating memory: how C. elegans remembers
https://www.ibiology.org/neuroscience/neuronal-synapse/#part-3
Recent Publications
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A muscle-epidermis-glia signaling axis sustains synaptic specificity during allometric growth in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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The Journey of the Synaptic Autophagosome: A Cell Biological Perspective.
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A specific ATG-4 isoform is required for autophagic maturation and clearance in C. elegans neurons.
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Transforming the development and dissemination of cutting-edge microscopy and computation.
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Isotropic Light-Sheet Microscopy and Automated Cell Lineage Analyses to Catalogue Caenorhabditis elegans Embryogenesis with Subcellular Resolution.
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Maturation and Clearance of Autophagosomes in Neurons Depends on a Specific Cysteine Protease Isoform, ATG-4.2.