Ben Perlin
Vanderbilt University
Doug McMahon lab
I am investigating the influence of melatonin on the brain’s master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), located in the hypothalamus. To do this I am extracting the SCN from genetically engineered mice and culturing it in a dish under a microscope to track the luminescence signal associated with Per2 expression. Using a photoswitchable melatonin agonist created by collaborators in France, I will evaluate the impact of melatonin signaling on the clock’s rythmn.