Benjamin White
Chief
Section on Neural Function
National Institute of Mental Health NCNP
Japan
Biography
Dr. White heads the Section on Neural Function at NIMH. He received a B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Oregon (Honors College) and a Ph.D. in the Neural Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. His graduate research and subsequent postdoctoral work at Yale University focused on mechanisms of ion channel gating and modulation. Shortly before he joined NIMH in 2002, his interests began to shift to using ion channels to manipulate neurons to investigate the brain substrates of behavior. Since coming to NIMH his laboratory has developed genetic tools for activating and suppressing targeted neurons in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, and sought to apply these tools to elucidate the neural circuit governing a developmentally essential behavioral program. This program, which governs the expansion of the wings at the end of metamorphosis, provides a simple paradigm for understanding how hormonal and environmental factors act to recruit motor patterns and assemble behavioral sequences. Because flies can choose when to expand their wings based on their environmental circumstances, this behavioral paradigm is also ideal for studying decision-making, the most fundamental aspect of behavioral integration.
Research Interest
molecular and cellular foundations of nervous system function
