Postdoctoral Researcher - Study basal ganglia circuits and plasticity mechanisms underlying motivation and arousal as well as their effects on Parkinson’s disease. The Seal laboratory identified a novel form of corticostriatal plasticity that involves circadian dependent increase in midbrain dopamine signaling. This plasticity delays for up to 5 months the onset of motor impairments in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. A major goal of the current open Postdoctoral position is to determine the molecular and circuit basis of the normalized motor behavior by measuring the activities of direct and indirect pathway spiny projection neurons in the dorsolateral striatum during motor behavior using Inscopix, in vivo calcium imaging and DeepLabCut. The plasticity mechanism will be determined from proteomic analysis of direct pathway spiny output neurons. Lastly, the postdoctoral researcher will identify circuitry underlying circadian dependent motivation and arousal related to the above projects.
Scientific training of the successful candidate will be enhanced by presenting the work at national and international meetings, obtaining research fellowships, and interacting with other research laboratories at the university of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.
The University of Pittsburgh has a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and internationally recognized neuroscience community that includes Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders, and the Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research. The city offers numerous sports, cultural, and gastronomical activities and is affordable for students and young professionals. Consistently, Pittsburgh has been rated Most Livable City in the US by the Economist and Forbes Magazine.
Please submit your cover letter and CV including the names of three references to Dr. Rebecca Seal, Ph.D. rpseal@pitt.edu