The brain constantly senses gravity,
(vestibular sensation)

interprets these signals,
(vestibular processing)

and transforms them into precise movements
(postural control & navigation)

We study how neurons & glia shape vestibular function
and how impairments lead to balance deficits.

Why fish?

The sensation of balance, strategies to maintain it, and the underlying neuronal architecture have been conserved across vertebrates for over 500 million years. Long before trees appeared on land, fish were already swimming in the water, using their vestibular inner ear to sense orientation and maintain stability.

We use larval zebrafish to study balance. Beyond being adorable, they offer optical and genetic accessibility, allowing us to observe and manipulate the brain of an intact, live vertebrate. (And did we mention they're adorable?)

A larval zebrafish viewed from above (dorsal view).

A small, translucent vertebrate

Fluorescent image of neurons and glia in the brain stem of a live zebrafish larva.

Conserved brainstem architecture

Snapshots of a larva falling through the water column. The fish rotates as it drops, with its nose pointing downward and belly facing upward.

Inherently unstable

We aim to understand how the brain interprets gravity, initiates movement, and stabilizes posture — ultimately, why we lose balance and how it can be restored.

We take a systematic approach,
studying balance at the molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioral levels.

Quantitative analysis of balance behavior

Fish swim to maintain postural stability and navigate the water column. We've built the SAMPL apparatus to measure posture and locomotion with high spacial and temporal resolution.

Measuring circuit activity

Transgenically modified fish allows us to watch neuronal (and glial) responses to body tilts! We use TIPM, a setup that tilts larval zebrafish under a 2-photon microscope, to understand how the brain encodes, processes, and transforms gravity signals.

Live imaging of brain development and cell death

We use time-lapse microscopy to watch biology unfold: neurons are born, migrate; glia move, wrap, and remodel, doing all their wild glial stuff; circuits assemble and refine, forming functional networks. We also model disease conditions, capturing cell death and inflammation, and ask how circuit function might be restored.

Genetic mutation that makes fish gravity-blind

We study the molecular players involved in gravity interpretation. One example is the otogelin gene: when it is lost, larvae fail to form the anterior otolith (ear stone, arrow head in the image) in the inner ear — the structure responsible for sensing gravity. These fish are essentially gravity-blind for the first two weeks of life!

The brain constantly senses gravity,(vestibular sensation)

interprets these signals,(vestibular processing)

and transforms them into precise movements(postural control & navigation)

We study how neurons & glia shape vestibular function and how impairments lead to balance deficits.