People in the Lab

Steven A. Prescott

Phone: 416-813-7654 x309094
Fax: 416-813-7717
E-mail: steve.prescott(at)sickkids.ca

Google Scholar profile

Stéphanie Ratté, Senior Research Associate

Stéphanie investigates the impact of intrinsic cell properties on information processing by single neurons. She also studies the network architecture of the superficial dorsal horn and its role in processing somatosensory input. Her expertise includes optical methods and in vitro electrophysiology, especially dynamic clamp. She uses cortical and spinal cord slices, cultured cortical neurons, and acutely dissociated sensory (DRG) neurons.

E-mail: stephanie.ratte(at)sickkids.ca

Milad Lankarany, Postdoctoral Researcher

Milad investigates encoding and decoding of information by single neurons and populations of neurons. Based on his background in engineering, Milad is the local Matlab expert. He uses various signal processing techniques and computer simulations to rigorously analyze and model how cell properties affect population coding in the brain. He is particularly interested in the biophysical basis for multiplexing.

E-mail: milad.lankarany(at)sickkids.ca
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/miladlankarani/

Steve Lesperance, Postdoctoral Researcher

Steve investigates the basic mechanisms underlying the effects of high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on neurons.

E-mail: steve.lesperance(at)sickkids.ca

Petri Takkala, PhD Student

Petri investigates the encoding of somatosensory information by different primary sensory neurons. He uses multiphoton calcium imaging in cultured DRG neurons and intact (ex vivo) DRG to study how primary sensory neurons, individually and as a population, encode somatosensory stimuli. He also uses these optical methods to study primary afferent depolarization (PAD)-induced spiking.

E-mail: petri.takkala(at)sickkids.ca

Dhekra Al-Basha, PhD Student

Dhekra studies axonal excitability using optogenetics, specifically by photoactivating channelrhodopsin-expressing neurons. She combines cutting-edge optogenetics methods with multielectrode in vivo recordings to study how the cutaneous endings of primary sensory neurons generate action potentials, and how this affects coding. She also uses cultured DRG neurons to measure ChR2 expression levels, activation properties, and modulation.

E-mail: dhekra.al.basha(at)mail.utoronto.ca

Amin Kamaleddin, PhD Student

Amin is using electrophysiological recordings in spinal cord slices to decipher how different cell types interact to control circuit function. In particular, he is studying how different cell types are affected by disinhibition and how those effects manifest in terms of circuit-level function.

E-mail: amin.kamaleddin(at)mail.utoronto.ca

Arjun Balachandar, Medical Student

Arjun is modeling the diversity of spiking patterns in different types of spinal dorsal horn neurons. Based on those models, he is developing algorithms to help explain spike pattern heterogeneity on the basis of distributions of ion channel densities.

E-mail: arjun.balachandar(at)mail.utoronto.ca

Emerson Grabke, Undergraduate Student

Emerson is modeling how channelrhodopsin (ChR2) is activated by light. Once validated, the ChR2 model will be incorporated into neuron models to explore how light, via ChR2 activation, can be used to characterize neuronal excitability.

Russell Smith, Research Technologist

Russell manages our transgenic mice colony and provides and maintains cell cultures in the lab. His molecular expertise and technical skills support just about everyone's project in one way or another.

E-mail: russell.smith(at)sickkids.ca