Massimo Avoli

Biography

Montreal Neurological Institute Neurology and Neurosurgery 

Research Interest

We employ electrophysiological and molecular techniques to examine the excitability of cortical neurons in rats and mice. Our work focuses on the interplay of inhibitory and excitatory influences, especially as they relate to the genesis of synchronicity in neuronal networks. These processes are fundamental for understanding the mechanisms underlying the generation of seizures in epileptic patients and for developing new anti-epileptic drugs. We are also stutying a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome to identify the alterations in inhibition that occur in a specific brain structure, the subiculum. This aspect might represent a fundamental mechanism in the pathophysiogenesis of this form of mental retardation.