We want to understand how behaviour emerges from the electrical properties of neurons, and the connections they form with each other through classical (chemical) synapses and electrical synapses (gap junctions). To this end, we employ a range of techniques that allow us to study the central nervous system and its function on many levels, including electrophysiology, histochemistry, voltammetry, optogenetics, cell culture and behavioural paradigms. Questions that we have been intrigued by in recent years include:

• How does the behaviour of a population of neurons change when the cells are connected by gap junctions?
• Why do the males of some species express paternal behaviours, while males of other species do not?
•  Why is aggressive behaviour expressed in stereotyped ways, and can the organization of specialized neurons in the hypothalamus explain why aggression emerges only in some animals under some conditions?
• What is the role of the nucleobindins, Ca2+-binding proteins that are found in all neurons?
• How do neurons in the hypothalamus change in the brains of female animals to prepare for pregnancy and motherhood?
• What is the function of neurons in the deepest layer of the cerebral cortex, the so-called persistent subplate neurons?

We welcome applications from students for longer internships, e.g. MSc projects. Students with a neuroscience background are particularly encouraged to apply. For inquiries, please send an e-mail to christian.broberger@dbb.su.se.