M. Neal Waxham
Professor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
The long-range objective of my research is to understand the molecular basis of learning and memory including how information is processed and stored at synaptic connections. We address this problem through four interconnected lines of experimental investigation. First, biophysical and enzymological approaches are used to establish detailed kinetic parameters for molecular interactions of synaptic signaling proteins. Second, live-cell spectroscopy is used to determine the constraints of movement and interactions between synaptic proteins in their native environment. Third, electron microscopic visualization and 3-D reconstructions are used to provide accurate geometric and spatial relationships of macromolecular complexes found at synapses. Finally, computational strategies provide an overlying hierarchy into which these 3 lines of experimental investigation are consolidated to produce a working model of synaptic connections that can be used to test new ideas and theories.
McGovern Medical School Faculty
Education & Training
PhD, Johns Hopkins University, 1984