Description and Mission
The NHP-PC is a collaborative initiative between multiple laboratories across intramural institutes. The consortium facilitates investigating synaptic level neural mechanisms in nonhuman primates and drawing comparisons to the mechanism found in rodent brains. The consortium is also an effective platform for developing and testing viral techniques for use in nonhuman primates as it allows functional validation of virally delivered constructs in the slice. Translation of viral techniques from rodents to primates is challenging, but it is an important step towards development of next-generation therapeutics. Specific projects in the consortium include investigation of mechanisms of inhibition in neocortex and hippocampus, dopamine release in the striatum, axonal physiology of dopamine neurons within the striatum, and the contribution of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons to learning.
NHP-PC Contacts
Mark Eldridge, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, NIMH
mark.eldridge@nih.gov
Zayd Khaliq, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, NINDS
zayd.khaliq@nih.gov
Sebastian Peña-Vargas
Program Analyst, CCB
sebastian.penavargas@nih.gov
Members
| Research Lab | Principal Investigator | NIH Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors | Veronica Alvarez | NIMH |
| Section on Learning and Decision Making | Bruno Averbeck | NIMH |
| Cellular Neurophysiology Section | Zayd Khaliq | NINDS |
| Section on Cellular and Synaptic Physiology | Chris McBain | NICHD |
| Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling Section | Lorna Role/David Talmage | NINDS |