Dr. Nate J. Klett

Research:

My early research involved electrophysiological investigations into the biophysical and functional properties of ion channels in neurons. I performed these electrophysiological studies in heterologous systems, as well as in neurons of the hippocampus and hypothalamus. During my dissertation, I turned to imaging techniques to address the physiology of GABA transmission in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Live-cell imaging allows for increased sampling of neurons and the observation of network dynamics. In the Neurophysiology Group, I will be using imaging to investigate the cellular correlates and network dynamics of sleep and circadian physiology in freely-moving animals.

Curriculum Vitae:

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. My time at the University of Pittsburgh included research into synaptic plasticity in the laboratory of Dr. German Barrionuevo, and a fellowship through the U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health. In 2008, I enrolled in the Neuroscience Graduate Program of Oregon Health Science University in Portland, Oregon. There, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Charles Allen where my dissertation work examined the functional role of GABA transmission in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the central circadian pacemaker of the brain. After defending my dissertation in 2015, I lead a collaboration between Dr. Charles Allen and Dr. David Ellison to investigate chloride regulation in the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney. In 2018, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Charles Bourque at McGill University as a post-doctoral fellow. My project at McGill University investigated circadian regulation of neurons in the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. In 2020, I joined the Neurophysiology group of Dr. Johanna Meijer under the supervision of Dr. Stephan Michel.