Joseph L. Nuñez lab
The primary emphasis of my lab’s research is on deleterious events that occur in utero, and the resultant effects on offspring. The goal is to understand how traumatic events are manifest in the offspring, from the cellular/physiological to behavioral level.  To understand such a broad spectrum of outcomes, we employ numerous techniques:
Quantitative unbiased stereology
Behavioral investigation (cognitive, emotional and social tasks)
Ratiometric dye imaging (Ca2+)
Primary cell culturing
Western blot (protein) analysis
Fluorescence microscopy
Our primary focus is on four in utero events:
- Maternal consumption of caffeine and alcohol
- Maternal use of methamphetamines
- Consequences of over-activation of the GABAA receptor, such as following consumption of alcohol , seizures and exposure to anesthesia
- Effect of gestational exposure to estrogens and androgens on normal brain development and following early brain injury
An over-arching theme of my work is to document these events in both males and females. 
View a movie of our research by clicking here.
We are currently looking for a postdoctoral fellow. Please contact Dr. Nunez at nunezj@msu.edu
For a recent talk at the University of Pittsburgh by
Dr. Nunez, please click on this link |
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