Charles Anderson

Charles Anderson is an Associate Professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, affiliated with the Department of Neuroscience and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. His research focuses on synaptic and circuit-level mechanisms in auditory processing, with particular emphasis on zinc signaling's role in cortical sound encoding.

• Education: PhD, Northwestern University

His research interests center on unraveling how auditory neurons maintain selective sound feature recognition across varying environments. By studying cortical mechanisms that enhance or suppress neuronal representation of sound features, he aims to clarify how receptive fields are dynamically tuned—a critical aspect of auditory system function. Techniques employed include 2-photon calcium imaging, whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, transgenic models, optogenetics, and behavioral assays.

The article trends reveal sustained focus on zinc signaling (e.g., ZIP12 transporter, vesicular zinc transporters), AMPA/NMDA receptor interactions, and auditory cortex microstructure. Recent work explores cortical circuits' synapse-specific signaling, while earlier studies connect zinc dynamics to hearing loss and stroke neuroprotection.

Anderson is associated with the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (SOM), where he contributes to multidisciplinary neuroscience research. His work bridges molecular mechanisms (e.g., TUBB4B cytoskeletal regulation) and systems-level auditory processing.