Lab Description:

Classical small, fast-acting neurotransmitters interact with hundreds of other compounds – including gases, peptides and steroids. Chemical messengers thus determine the behavior of billions of individual neurons in the brain. These neurons, working together in teams, generate the final muscle movement patterns that we see as overt animal behavior. In the Boyd laboratory, we analyze animal behaviors, identify the groups of neurons involved in controlling those behaviors, and discover the chemical messengers used for communication between the neurons.