Cornelia Isabella Bargmann studied the relationship between genes, neural circuits, and behavior in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the US. Bargmann’s research focused on how the sense of smell (olfaction) in the nematode word Caenorhabditis elegans. She provided a model to study how neural circuits develop and function in the human brain, as the genetic regulatory pathways are similar. She also studied how neurons develop and form connections to influence sensory abilities, and how chemicals called neuropeptides influence reproductive behavior in C. elegans. Such studies enabled researchers to make inferences about similar processes in other organisms, such as humans.
Unipolar brush cells (UBCs) are glutamatergic neurons in the cerebellar cortex. Their morphology includes a brush-like dendrite, soma, and axon with large ‘mossy fiber’ terminals. They are classified as being excited or inhibited by glutamate (ON and OFF). UBCs may contribute to auditory and vestibular circuits whose dysfunction may lead to tinnitus and ataxia, respectively. This study explores UBC physiology, connectivity in cerebellar circuits, and contributions to circuit dysfunction.