David Lent

I am a graduate student in the neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona. I earned a B.S. with honors in Psychology and Molecular & Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona in 2001. I began my research in the Strausfeld laboratory in May 2000 with support from Undergraduate Biology Research Program. My research interests lie in mechanisms and modelling of learning and memory. I began my work with Hyung-Wook Kwon analyzing learning and memory in the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Together we have developed a number of learning paradigms and techniques based on classical conditioning that will allow for molecular and electrophysiological analysis of learning and memory.

I am currently interested in analyzing changes in the mushroom body of the cockroach during learning and fomation of memory. Through intracellular and extracellular recordings of the mushroom bodies I hope to gain a better understanding of changes during learning. In addition I am also interested in looking at the role of immediate early genes and enhanced function plasticity in the cockroach. Through the use of behavioral paradigms, molecular analysis, and electrophysiological techniques I hope to incorporate the data into a model of the mushroom body that will lead to the development of artificial adaptive systems representative of natural biological systems. I feel that it is important to take a multi-disciplinary approach when trying to understand something as complex and elusive as learning and memory. Through the combination of electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, molecular genetics, behavior, computer science, and robotics I hope to better understand the phenomenon of neural plasticity and the mechanisms of learning and memory.

Additional research and professional experience, as well as publication information can be found in my Curriculum Vitae.