University of Leicester
Project leader
Phone:+44 116 252 5078
Fax:+44 116 252 3330
Project staff
Phone:-
Fax:-
Phone:+44 116 252 3339
Fax:-
Institute presentation
The University of Leicester has an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching and is currently ranked eighth in the United Kingdom for research citations. The department of Biology is part of the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychiatry, which includes groups that focus on neural circuits and behaviour, sensory motor control and animal models of human disease. The College also has an open atmosphere that stimulates discussions and facilitates collaborations across disciplines. The Norton laboratory within the Department of Biology specialises in studying zebrafish neuroscience and behaviour from the molecular to the systems level. The group has access to a behavioural platform that can measure the behavioural repertoire of both larval and adult zebrafish including tests for aggression and related behaviours such as impulsivity, anxiety, hyperactivity, boldness, exploration and social behaviour. The platform is also suitable for medium-throughput small molecule screens. The department has well-furnished laboratories, a dedicated facility to house zebrafish, setups for electrophysiology and a multiphoton confocal microscope. The Norton group is unusual in that its members combine behavioural expertise with a strong background in genetics, neuroscience and developmental biology. This combination of skills allows group members to analyse gene function or behavioural phenotypes in a truly global manner, permitting the analysis of the neural circuits and neurotransmitter signalling pathways that underlie complex behaviours.
