Yvette Fisher

Yvette Fisher is an Assistant Professor affiliated with the Department of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her lab focuses on understanding how neural circuits dynamically adapt to changing environmental and physiological conditions, particularly in the context of spatial navigation using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The Fisher Lab employs advanced techniques including in vivo electrophysiology, 2-photon imaging, and genetic tools to investigate synaptic plasticity, neuromodulation, and homeostatic regulation within navigational circuits.

Research interests include: (1) Synaptic plasticity mechanisms underlying spatial memory formation, (2) Context-dependent neuromodulatory control of navigation circuits, and (3) Homeostatic regulation of neural network properties to maintain stable directional representations. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms with behavioral outcomes, leveraging the fly's genetic accessibility to study fundamental principles of neural computation.

Key projects explore how sensory input remapping occurs at Ring→E-PG synapses during spatial learning, how neuromodulators reconfigure circuit operating modes based on behavioral context (e.g., locomotion speed), and how single-cell properties are dynamically regulated to preserve network function over the fly's lifespan. The lab's approach integrates multi-faceted experimental methods to link synaptic physiology to emergent navigational behaviors.

Notable contributions include developing genetic tools like SPARC and FlpStop for precise cell-type manipulation, as well as uncovering sensorimotor experience-dependent remapping of visual inputs to heading-direction networks. Current work emphasizes real-time imaging during behavior to directly observe how synaptic changes correlate with learning processes.