Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

My laboratory studies the molecular basis and functional significance of synaptic plasticity. Particular areas of emphasis include (1) mechanisms and function of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity, (2) mechanism and function of presynaptic plasticity, and (3) role of synaptic plasticity in neurological/psychiatric disorders (i.e. dystonia, Tourette's, OCD, dementia).

Neurology residency, University of California, San Francisco, 2000

Ph.D., Stanford University, 1996

M.D., Stanford University, 1996

A.B., University of California, Berkeley, 1988

Shuen, J.A., Chen, M., Gloss, B., and N. Calakos. Drd1a-tdTomato transgenic mice for simultaneous visualization of MSNs in the direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia. 2008. The Journal of Neuroscience, 28(11):2681-5.

Welch, J.M., Lu, J., Rodriguiz, R.M., Trotta, N.C., Peca, J., Ding, J-D., Feliciano, C., Chen, M., Adams, J.P., Dudek, S.M., Weinberg, R.J., Calakos, N., Wetsel, W.C., and Feng, G. Cortico-striatal synaptic defects and OCD-like behaviors in SAPAP3 mutant mice. 2007. Nature 448(7156):894-900.

Calakos, N., Schoch, S., Sudhof, T.C., and R.C. Malenka. Multiple Roles for the Active Zone Protein RIM1a in Late Stages of Neurotransmitter Release. 2004. Neuron 42(6):889-896.