Richard Bertram

Hormones are often secreted from endocrine cells in a pulsatile manner, and downstream targets respond optimally to pulsatile input, demonstrating a physiological significance of this pattern of secretion. One focus of the research done in my lab is the biophysical mechanisms underlying this pulsatility. Much of our work is on insulin-secreting beta cells that are located in pancreatic islets of Langerhans, and on cells of the pituitary gland that secrete hormones related to reproduction and stress. The other major focus of my lab is on mechanisms through which networks of neurons produce patterned behavior. In particular, we are examining the neural basis of birdsong production in the zebra finch, which serves as an excellent model system for learned patterned behavior. The techniques used in my lab are largely mathematical or computational, typically done in close collaboration with experimental labs.