Hoppa Lab Identifies ‘Volume Control’ in the Brain

Michael Hoppa (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)

Michael Hoppa, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, and his research team have identified a “molecular volume knob” that regulates electrical signals, controlling the width of electrical signals that flow across synapses in the brain.  The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the first-ever study of how the shapes of electrical signals contribute to the functioning of synapses. See Dartmouth News for the full story.