Professor Beverley Clark

Neuronal Integration and Axonal Signalling

Tel: 020 7679 6955
Email: b.clark@ucl.ac.uk

Information transmission in the brain is mediated by the synaptic connectivity of neural networks and the conduction of electrical signals (action potentials) by the axons that connect the network. 

The pattern of connectivity, the location on the dendrites of the synaptic input and the intrinsic electrical properties of the recipeint neurons are key determinants of whether or not an action potential will be initiated and transmit information about the synaptic inputs to the next cell in the network. Using electrophysiological and imaging methods, we investigate synaptic integration and axon signalling in order to understand the fundemental building blocks of information processing in neuronal networks. 

Although the properties and connectivity of neurons in different brain areas can have common features, there are also functional specialisations that reflect aspects specific to the role of the local network. We focus on regions of the brain involved in motor control including the cerebellar system and the motor cortex.