Horacio O. de la Iglesia

horaciod@u.washington.edu
Associate Professor, Department of Biology

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Research in our laboratory is guided to understand the neural basis of behavior. Specifically, we are interested in the mammalian circadian system, which can be studied at different levels of organization and using different approaches. The circadian system generates and controls the daily cyclic variations on behavioral and physiological variables, such us rhythms in locomotor activity, temperature and hormonal secretion. The master control of these rhythms is exerted by a biological clock located within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the brain. We use behavioral, neuroanatomical and molecular techniques in order to understand how the SCN generates and orchestrates this array of circadian rhythms, and how light can reset the clock within the SCN.