Lu Laboratory

Hui-Chen Lu, is a Gill Chair of Neuroscience in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. She received her Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Her research focuses on the signaling cascades underlying neural circuit connections during brain development, to understand how sensory experiences affect neural circuit wiring, and to identify novel factors required to maintain the health of neural circuits during aging.

Education:

• B.S., National Taiwan University, 1991

• Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, 1997

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine, 1997-2003

Current Research:

• Development of cortical neural circuits, in particular on activity-dependent remodeling and how to correct mis-wiring in neurological disorders.

• Neuroprotective strategies to reserve cognition and to protect against dementia.

Current Research:

• The role of FGF/FGFR signaling in brain circuitry formation and maintenance.

• The underlying mechanisms that regulate FGF/FGFR expression.

Izaque de Sousa Maciel is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Pharmacology of the School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto - University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has investigated the role of immune-inflammatory processes and stress in the depression-like behavior in rodents. He is currently investigating the role of stress on neuron morphology using multi-photon microscopy in awake mice.

Education:

• B.S. in Pharmacy, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2012

• M.S. in Medicine and Science of Health with emphasis on Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2014

• Ph.D. visiting student, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, 2016-2017

• Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of Sao aulo, Brazil, 2018

Sen Yang is a dual Ph.D. student in Psychology & Brain Sciences and Neuroscience at Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interest is in neurodegenerative disease, specifically in the synaptic loss associated with Alzheimer's disease, and mechanisms of learning, memory, and consciousness.

Zhen Xian is a Ph.D. student from Taiwan. His research interest is in neural circuitry and development. He assists with cryosectioning and staining in the lab. He is also learning patch clamp and will try to use this technique for further research. 

Education:

• B.S., National Taiwan Ocean University, 2012

Bruna is a Research Technician from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She studied at UNIRIO - Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and majored in Biology. She has previously done research in Bioinformatics. In the Lu Lab, she is responsible for the multi-photon microscope operation, performing in vitro, in vivo, and awake behaving imaging studies. She also performs data analysis and manages the lab IT functions.

Education:

• B.S. in Biology, UNIRIO - Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2016

Romario is from São Paulo, Brazil. He studied at Mackenzie Presbyterian University and majored in Biology, and received his teaching certificate in Biological Sciences. His previous research in Brazil pertains to the influence of a chronic fructose diet on the autonomic cardiac function. At Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, he was a part of collaborative work on the expression and location of NKCCs cotransporters in the cell. In the Lu lab he has contributed by analyzing specimen behavior and lab maintenance.

Education:

• B.S. in Biological Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Brazil, 2014

Jie-En Wu is an undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience. She has been in the Lu Lab since 2016, working in mice management. Currently, she is also assisting the research of Dr. Jonathon Crystal. Additionally, she is a member of Alpha Chi Sigma, as well as the Longboarding Club.

Trisha and Jana are the core administrators for the Gill Center and, with their invaluable assistance, have made the research of the all of the Gill Center laboratories possible.

Rick and Jesse head-up the workshop for the psychology department. They have helped in numerous ways, including lab modifications to facilitate our work and manufacture of custom tools and prototypes that aid in our ongoing research projects.