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Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Communication within and between cells is a fundamental feature of brain function. Some Penn neuroscientists are engaged in the study of ion channels, specialized membrane proteins that are responsible for electrical excitability and intracellular communication. Others are investigating synaptic transmission, the process by which information is transferred from one cell to another.
It is now recognized that mutations in ion channel proteins or defects in synaptic transmission are involved in a wide variety of brain disorders, including epilepsy, addiction, affective disorders, and Parkinson's disease.
