- PhD, University of California, San Diego
Education & Training
Functional neural circuits and neural plasticity
How do neural circuits transform our thoughts into actions? I study neural circuits in the basal ganglia, a multifunctional brain region that plays a role in the regulation of movement, learning, motivation, and reward. My specific interests include how neural circuits in the basal ganglia are altered by experience and why certain circuits breakdown in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and dystonia. My laboratory uses a variety of techniques including electrophysiology, optogenetics, histology, and behavior. We use mice as a model organism to understand how activity of specific basal ganglia circuits relate to motor control in both health and in animal models of movement disorders.
Isett, Brian R., Katrina P. Nguyen, Jenna C. Schwenk, Jeff R. Yurek, Christen N. Snyder, Maxime V. Vounatsos, Kendra A. Adegbesan, Ugne Ziausyte, and Aryn H. Gittis. “The Indirect Pathway of the Basal Ganglia Promotes Transient Punishment but Not Motor Suppression.” Neuron 111, no. 14 (2023).
Albaugh, Daniel L., and Aryn H. Gittis. “Stressing the Importance of Cholinergic Interneurons in Striatal Function.” Movement Disorders (2021).
Spix, Teresa A., et al. “Population-Specific Neuromodulation Prolongs Therapeutic Benefits of Deep Brain Stimulation.” Science (2021).
Aristieta, Asier, and Aryn Gittis. “Distinct Globus Pallidus Circuits Regulate Motor and Cognitive Functions.” Trends in Neuroscience (2021).
Nguyen, Katrina P., Abhinav Sharma, Mauricio Gil-Silva, Aryn H. Gittis, and Steven M. Chase. “Distinct Kinematic Adjustments Accompany Locomotor Skill Development in Mice.” Neuroscience (2021).
Gittis, Aryn H., Benjamin M. Hooks, and Charles R. Gerfen. “Basal Ganglia Circuits.” In Neural Circuit and Cognitive Development, 221–242. Academic Press, 2020.
Lawler, Alyssa J., Ashley R. Brown, Rachel S. Bouchard, Noelle Toong, Yeonju Kim, Nitinram Velraj, Grant Fox, Michael Kleyman, Byungsoo Kang, Aryn H. Gittis, and Andreas R. Pfenning. “Cell Type-Specific Oxidative Stress Genomic Signatures in the Globus Pallidus of Dopamine-Depleted Mice.” Journal of Neuroscience, 2020.
Phillips, Ryan S., Ian Rosner, Aryn H. Gittis, and Jonathan E. Rubin. “The Effects of Chloride Dynamics on Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata Responses to Pallidal and Striatal Inputs.” eLife, 2020.
Spix, Teresa, and Aryn H. Gittis. “Parkinson’s Disease: Debunking an Old Theory.” eLife Preview, 2020.
Whalen, Timothy C., Amanda M. Willard, Jonathan E. Rubin, and Aryn H. Gittis. “Delta Oscillations Are a Robust Biomarker of Dopamine Depletion Severity and Motor Dysfunction in Awake Mice.” Journal of Neurophysiology, 2020.
Phillips, Ryan S., Ian Rosner, Aryn H. Gittis, and Jonathan E. Rubin. “A Computational Model Explains and Predicts Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata Responses to Pallidal and Striatal Inputs.” bioRxiv, 2020.
