CANCELED - David Anderson, "Neural circuitry of controlling internal states and innate behaviors"

David  Anderson, Ph.D., is Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.  He is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  Dr. Anderson studies the neural circuits that control emotional behaviors in animal models.  He has been at the forefront of developing and applying new technologies for neural circuit manipulation, such as optogenetics and pharmacogenetics, to the study of emotional behaviors in both mice and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.  His work in mice is currently focused on subcortical circuits, including those involving the amygdala and hypothalamus, and their role in fear and aggression. His work on flies is centered on understanding how internal states control defensive and social behaviors, including aggression.