معرفی
Jeffrey Michael Donlea is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on understanding the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying sleep homeostasis using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.
Dr. Donlea's research interests span multiple areas of neuroscience and sleep research. His work primarily investigates how sleep need is regulated at the neural circuit level, how sleep impacts memory consolidation and neural plasticity, and how sleep homeostasis interacts with other behavioral states like stress and feeding. His laboratory employs a range of techniques including genetic manipulation, optogenetics, behavioral analysis, and neural imaging to dissect the mechanisms of sleep regulation in Drosophila. His research has revealed critical insights into the recurrent circuitry that balances sleep need and sleep, the role of specific brain regions like the ellipsoid body in sleep modulation, and how sleep deprivation affects synaptic scaling across different brain regions.
Analysis of Dr. Donlea's publication record shows a consistent focus on sleep homeostasis mechanisms using Drosophila models. His work has evolved from identifying basic sleep regulatory genes to dissecting specific neural circuits that control sleep need. A significant portion of his research examines how sleep impacts neural plasticity and memory, with several key papers demonstrating that sleep deprivation leads to specific changes in synaptic architecture and function. His most recent work has expanded to examine stress resilience in relation to sleep regulation and the brain-wide effects of sleep deprivation on neurotransmitter systems.
Dr. Donlea has been the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects, including "Investigating the logic of homeostatic sleep control circuitry in Drosophila" (NIH R01NS105967, 2018-2023) and "Role of Drosophila circadian circuitry in experience-dependent sleep" (NIH F31NS063514, 2009-2011). His laboratory has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to successful careers in neuroscience and related fields.
Dr. Donlea's research is conducted within the Neurobiology Department at UCLA, which provides state-of-the-art facilities for molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience research. His work contributes to UCLA's broader efforts in understanding brain function and behavior through model organism research.
