THE SHAFER LAB

Work in the Shafer lab seeks to understand how networks of clock neurons orchestrate rhythmic behavior. The fly Drosophila melanogaster has been a valuable model system for the molecular and neural basis of circadian timekeeping. The fly's molecular clock is built of a small group of genes with high homology to those of mammals. Furthermore, the neuronal basis of timekeeping also appears to be based on similar building blocks throughout the animal kingdom. The Shafer lab employs anatomical, genetic, and live-imaging techniques in Drosophila to discover how time is kept within the brain and how it is used to orchestrate daily and seasonal changes in behavior.

Also known as: Shafer Lab

Primary location: New York United States