Dr. Karen Zito

Position Title

Professor

Center for Neuroscience Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior

Degrees

1998 PhD University of California, Berkeley
1991 BS Indiana University

Research Interests

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity

The goal of our research is to understand at the cellular and molecular level how synaptic connections form during development, how they are modified by sensory experience and altered in disease. Most of the excitatory synaptic connections in the cortex occur on dendritic spines, tiny protrusions that extend from the dendritic membrane. Dendritic spines are highly dynamic during development both in vitro and in vivo; periods of high motility coincide with synapse formation. Spine motility, driven by actin dynamics, is thought to allow the postsynaptic neuron to explore and sample presynaptic partners. In addition, alterations of spine dynamics and stability have been observed in response to sensory experience, leading to the hypothesis that these anatomical changes underlie the adaptive remodeling of cortical circuits. The identification and characterization of the molecules and mechanisms that control spine morphogenesis will be a crucial step toward understanding the formation and plasticity of cortical circuits. Our approach to this problem combines time-lapse imaging to observe nascent spine formation, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to measure protein dynamics, with molecular manipulations of synaptic proteins to decipher their roles in the growth of dendritic spines and synapses. In addition, we use physiological measurements in combination with two-photon uncaging of glutamate to examine the function of nascent synapses at the single synapse level.

Awards

Helen Hay Whitney Fellow

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences

NSF CAREER Award

CBS Grad Group Affiliations

Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

Neuroscience

Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology

Pharmacology

Specialties / Focus

Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

Cell Biology
Neurobiology
Organelle and Membrane Biology

Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology

Neuronal Plasticity
Neurophysiology

Labs

Deborah Park (PTX grad student), Juan Flores (MCIP grad student), Nicole Claiborne (NSC grad student), Samuel Petshow (BMCDB grad student), Jinyoung Jang (Asst Project Scientist), Lorenzo Tom (Jr Specialist), Cliff Moran (undergrad), Katherine Sayaseung (undergrad)

Courses

NPB 100 Neurobiology - (Winter quarter)

NPB 212 Light and Fluorescence Microscopy - (Spring quarter)

NPB Diversity Mission Statement

With the recognition that one of UC Davis’ core missions is to provide educational opportunities for all students, encompassing diversity in gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds, citizenship, pregnancy status, mental or physical disabilities, and many more categories (see our Statement of Nondiscrimination for details), we in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior affirm our commitment to increasing participation by underrepresented groups in our undergraduate student body, our undergraduate research assistants, our graduate student body, our postdoctoral associates, our faculty, and our staff. Our goals are to provide a safe and equitable environment and to create and maintain a culture of support and inclusion of underrepresented members in our department.

NPB Equity Advisors

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