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Studies in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology (LCMN) focus on the receptors and ion channels that mediate signaling in the central nervous system. Excitability in the brain takes many forms. On the millisecond time scale, cells fire action potentials and communicate via activation of ligand-gated ion channels at excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Intimately linked to signaling on this fast scale are second messenger systems that control a wide range of metabolic processes. Ultimately, changes in activity mediated by a vast network of electrical and biochemical processes are tied to the regulation of gene expression itself. Such regulation underlies our creative abilities to rationalize thoughts, experience emotions, and recall memories.