Troy Littleton
J. Troy Littleton (born March 19, 1967) is an American neuroscientist and Menicon Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Departments of Biology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences. He is also the co-director of MIT's Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Graduate Program.[1]
Littleton is affiliated with The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. He is known for his research on synaptic function and its role in neurological disorders, utilizing the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism.[2]
Education and early career[edit]
Littleton obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Louisiana State University in 1989, graduating magna cum laude.[3]
He then pursued combined M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Baylor College of Medicine. His doctoral research, conducted under the mentorship of Hugo Bellen, focused on characterizing synaptic vesicle exocytosis using the Drosophila model.[4]
After completing his M.D./Ph.D. studies in 1997, Littleton conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin in Madison with Barry Ganetzky, a pioneer in Drosophila neurogenetics.[5]
Career[edit]
In 2000, Littleton joined the faculty at MIT as an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department and the Center for Learning & Memory. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004 and to Professor in 2011.[6][7]
Littleton has made contributions to understanding the mechanisms underlying synaptic connectivity and plasticity. His research has implications for various neurological disorders, including epilepsy, Huntington's disease, and autism.[8][9][10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Troy Littleton". MIT. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Jackson, Christina (22 July 2022). "Fruit Fly Study Provides New Insights into How Neurons Communicate". GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
- ^ "2024 Gruber Genetics Prize | Gruber Foundation". Yale University. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Professor's gesture for graduate student and her baby wins hearts on Twitter". Hindustan Times. 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Neuroscientists reveal how the brain can enhance connections". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Ebrahimji, Neelam Bohra,Alisha (2021-06-22). "MIT professor buying a grad student and new mother a crib to keep in the lab highlights pandemic's toll on working moms". CNN. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Study investigates how neurons construct synapses of different strengths". News-Medical. 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Jackson, Christina (2022-07-22). "Fruit Fly Study Provides New Insights into How Neurons Communicate". GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Study connects neural gene expression differences to functional distinctions". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "The Molecular Logic Behind Neuron Diversity". Neuroscience News. 23 August 2023.