MacArthur Fellows Program

Gina G. Turrigiano

Neuroscientist | Class of 2000

Title
Neuroscientist
Location
Waltham, Massachusetts
Age
37 at time of award
Published July 1, 2000

About Gina's Work

Gina Turrigiano is a neuroscientist who explores the ways brain cells modify their activity in response to changing conditions.

Employing an array of research techniques, including cell culture, electrophysiology, and biophysical modeling, Turrigiano has identified the mechanisms that individual neurons use to maintain their function within an optimal range.  These findings open a new approach to understanding normal brain processes, such as learning, and abnormal ones, such as epilepsy.  Research early in her career focused on the role of neuropeptides in regulating invertebrate neural circuits.  More recent work investigates the properties of mammalian cortical neurons using a cell culture system.  Using this strategy, Turrigiano has demonstrated the autoregulating properties of these cells and identified neurotransmitters and neurotrophins that mediate components of the phenomenon.

Biography

Turrigiano is a professor in the Department of Biology and at the Volen Center for Complex Systems at Brandeis University.  She is the author of numerous articles published in such journals as Nature, Neuron, and the Journal of Neuroscience.

Turrigiano received a B.A. (1984) from Reed College and a Ph.D. (1990) from the University of California, San Diego.  She has held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, San Diego (1990) and Brandeis University (1990-1993).

Last updated January 1, 2005

Select News Coverage of Gina G. Turrigiano
More Fellows

View All 2000 Fellows

Stay Informed
Sign up for periodic news updates and event invitations.

Connect with us on social media or view all of our social media content in one place.

The privacy of your data is important to us. We've updated our privacy policies in response to General Data Protection Regulation.