Research Interests & Foci
February 1, 2025
Rumky (Khandkar) Hossain started in our lab as a laboratory technician!
Jacco Renstroem and Lorenzo Ciano also joined our lab as postdoctoral fellows! We're thrilled to have you on board.
January 26, 2025
Enthusiastic participants took part in mouse behavioural scoring and oxytocin cell counting, demonstrated by star PhD trainees Ash and Siyao!
November 21, 2024
And of course, burritos! So much fun!
November 8, 2024
Participating labs: Bains lab (Krembil/UCalgary), Bourque lab (McGill), Choe lab (McMaster U), Daviu lab (U of Guelph), Ferguson lab (Queens U), Inoue lab (Western U), Prager-Khoutorsky lab (McGill), with our special guest Stephane Oliet from Universite de Bordeaux!
June 14, 2024
There was plenty of great science, beach, wildlife, and karaoke!
May 22, 2024
Aisha showed off her cool electrophysiology results!
May 17, 2024
Good times hanging out with the Bourque, Prager-khoutorsky, and Cunningham labs!
January 31, 2024
Katy Sandoval and Aishwarya Patwardhan have both been selected to receive the highly competitive travel award for the annual meeting of International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) in Panama City!
The brain controls behaviour in an extremely complex manner, involving various processes at molecular, cellular, circuit, and network levels. Disease-linked gene mutations can create functional disruptions at any of these levels. In our lab, we use a multi-level, integrative research strategy to link how gene mutations associated with psychiatric disorders disrupt social behaviour.
OXYTOCIN AND ASD
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone known to influence key components of social behaviour, such as relationship bonding and trust. We are currently investigating potential molecular and circuit mechanisms involved in impaired function of the central oxytocin system and its link to the social symptoms of ASD.
CONVERGENT AND DIVERGENT MECHANISMS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia have a significant genetic component. More than 100 risk genes have been identified for each condition, and a number of these overlap across disorders. On which neurobiological pathways do these gene mutations converge? Conversely, how do single gene disruptions serve as a risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders? We aim to answer these questions using an integrative research pipeline that combines molecular, cellular, and circuit approaches in animal models.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
qPCR
Bulk and single-cell RNA-seq
Immunohistochemistry
Western blotting
IMAGING
Brain clearing (e.g. iDISCO, SHIELD)
Lightsheet imaging
Confocal imaging
Fiber photometry calcium imaging
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
In vitro slice electrophysiology
(extracellular, whole-cell patch-clamp)
In vivo multi-unit electrophysiology in freely behaving mice
MOUSE BEHAVIOUR
3-chamber social interaction test
Juvenile social play
Open field test
Y Maze
MOUSE MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
Structural MRI
Resting-state fMRI
Optogenetic fMRI
Pharmacologic MRI
Katrina Choe
Principal Investigator
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCLA
Ph.D. McGill University
B.Sc. University of Toronto
Read more
Jacco Renstroem
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc. University of Nottingham
Lorenzo Ciano
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. Italian Institute of Technology
M.Sc. La Sapienza University
B.Sc. Tor Vergata University
Katy Celina Sandoval
Ph.D. Candidate
Neuroscience Graduate Program
M.Sc. University of Calgary
B.Sc. Bishop's University
Ash Patwardhan
Ph.D. Candidate
PNB Graduate Program
M.Sc. Stony Brook University
B.Sc. University of Buffalo
Siyao Peng
Ph.D. Student
PNB Graduate Program
M.Sc. University of Guelph
B.Sc. University of Toronto
Aisha Abdul Rahiman
Ph.D. Student
Neuroscience Graduate Program
M.Sc. York University
B.Sc. University of Toronto
Jack Rosenbaum
M.Sc. Student
PNB Graduate Program
B.Sc. McMaster University
Nita Chan
M.Sc. Student
Neuroscience Graduate Program
B.Sc. Western University
Jessica Chen
Laboratory Technician
B.Sc. McMaster University
Rumky (Khandkar) Hossain
Laboratory Technician
M.Sc. Memorial University
B.Sc. Khulnar University
SOCIAL CIRCUITS AND THEIR DYSFUNCTION IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (review).
Molecular Psychiatry (2023)
Sato, M., Nakai, N., Fujima, S., Choe, K.Y., Takumi, T.
PubMed link
OXYTOCIN NORMALIZES ALTERED CIRCUIT CONNECTIVITY FOR SOCIAL RESCUE OF THE CNTNAP2 KO MOUSE.
Neuron (2022)
Choe, K.Y., Bethlehem, R.A.I., Safrin, M., Dong, H., Salman, E., Li, Y., Grinevich, V., Golshani, P., DeNardo, L.A., Peñagarikano,. O, Harris, N.G., Geschwind, D.H.
PubMed link
OPTOGENETIC FMRI AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF REGION-SPECIFIC CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE CEREBELLAR CORTEX AND FOREBRAIN.
NeuroImage (2018)
Choe, K.Y., Sanchez, C.F., Harris, N.G., Otis, T.S., and Mathews, P.J.
PubMed link
EFFECTS OF SALT LOADING ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF ASTROCYTES IN THE VENTRAL GLIA LIMITANS OF THE RAT SUPRAOPTIC NUCLEUS.
J Neuroendocrinology (2016)
Choe, K.Y., Prager-Khoutorsky, M., Farmer, W.T., Murai, K.K., and Bourque C.W.
PubMed link
HIGH SALT INTAKE INCREASES BLOOD PRESSURE VIA BDNF-MEDIATED DOWNREGULATION OF KCC2 AND IMPAIRED BAROREFLEX INHIBITION OF VASOPRESSIN NEURONS.
Neuron (2016)
Choe, K.Y., Han, S.Y., Gaub, P., Shell, B., Voisin, D.L., Knapp, B.A., Barker, P.A., Brown, C., Cunningham,J.T., and Bourque, C.W.
PubMed link
COMPLETE LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
LINK
Psychology Building
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
L8S 4K1
Canada
choek@mcmaster.ca
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