Neural responses to abiotic stress in insects

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My research program is concerned with the impact of environmental factors, such as variable temperatures or oxygen availability, on the operation of nervous systems. This research is important for at least two reasons. From a purely biological perspective, the ability to cope with these environmental factors determines the geographical ranges of different species and understanding their physiological effects allows predictions about the ecological consequences of global climate change. From a biomedical perspective, the same factors are associated with human pathology such as fever, and oxygen deprivation resulting from a stroke. At a cellular level, neural mechanisms are remarkably similar in animals as diverse as locusts and humans, so my research with insects can generate hypotheses for others to test in mammalian models.