Joshua Trachtenberg

Joshua Trachtenberg is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on understanding how early sensory experiences shape synaptic and network connectivity in cortical circuits, particularly in the visual system.

• Key Research Areas:
  • Mechanisms of experience-dependent cortical plasticity
  • Role of vision in neural circuit development
  • Molecular pathways in autism-related models
  • Inhibitory interneuron dynamics
  • Long-term in vivo imaging of dendritic spines

Recent Publications highlight studies on dendritic spine clustering, critical period plasticity, and retinal cell type evolution, with methodologies spanning multi-photon imaging and single-cell transcriptomics.

• Funding Highlights:
  • NIH R01EY027407 (Disinhibition & Visual Plasticity)
  • NIH R01EY023871 (Inhibitory Circuit Regulation)
  • NIH R01MH082935 (PTEN-Associated Autism Models)

Labs & Collaborations include work with the Silva, Golshani, and Geschwind groups, focusing on synaptic stability, cortical dysfunction, and autism-related protein studies.