Research Interests & Foci
March 18, 2024
We have 2+ available positions - please apply with your CV and cover letter if you're interested!
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!
January 01, 2024
Welcome to our lab, Iris and Braeden!
SEPT 01, 2023
Welcome to our lab, Aisha and Siyao!
July 31, 2023
Both Ash and Katy have passed their PhD comprehensive exams this summer and are now PhD candidates!
September 7, 2022
Josh successfully defends his M.Sc. thesis titled "Characterization of astrocyte and oxytocin neuron activity dynamics in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus". Congratulations!
September 1, 2022
Katy's PhD research project will be funded by NSERC for 3 years. Well done Katy!
JULY 14, 2022
We are grateful for this generous funding support!
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
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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