Kanwardeep Kaleka
Graduate Student Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Degree, BS, University of Southern California, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Nashaat Gerges, PhD
Mailing Address: Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy 8701 Watertown Plank Road Milwaukee, WI 53226-3548 USA
Phone: (414) 955-8132 FAX: (414) 955-6517 Email: kkaleka@mcw.edu
Research Area: Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus
Ever since my undergraduate work dealing with memory in classical conditioning at the University of Southern California, my interest in neuroscience has only grown. Upon discovering the interesting neuroscience research being done at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a medical student, I decided to apply to the Medical Scientist Training Program to pursue an M.D.,Ph.D. The research being done in Dr. Nashaat Gerges' lab was what opened my eyes to some of the fascinating work being done at MCW.
I was very excited to join the lab and explore learning and memory at the molecular level. Using a variety of methods--including electrophysiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and different types of imaging--we explore the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. My future projects examine synaptic plasticity in animal models of Alzheimer's disease as well as aging, and investigate ways of reversing and preventing the deficits caused by these processes.