• Phone: (403) 394-3950 
    e-mail: mohajerani@uleth.ca 
    Office: EP 1202 
    Lab: EP 1209

    Research Interests

    My lab employs in vivo optical methods such as two-photon microscopy and voltage sensitive dye imaging, to study neural activity on the subcellular, cellular, and circuit level in real-time. My research focuses on the physiological and computational basis of sensory perception and associative learning at the level of individual neurons and their synaptic interactions within complex neural circuits.

    Education

    • B.Sc. & M.Sc., Electronic and Biomedical Engineering, AmirKabir University Technology.
    • Ph.D., Neuroscience, 2007, International School of Advanced Studies.
    • Postdoctoral fellowship, 2013, University of British Columbia.

    Available Positions

    I am currently looking for:

    1. Post-doctoral fellow with experience in in vivo two-photon imaging and animal surgery. Excellent communication skills are a must. Experience in MATLAB will be an asset.
    2. Master and Ph.D. graduate students interested in learning in vivo optical imaging.
    3. Optical specialist, see this link for more information.
    4. Animal surgery technician, see this link for more information.

    Please contact Dr. Mohajerani by email with a CV and one page cover letter.

    Recent Publications

    1. Mohajerani MH *, Chan, AW *, Mohsenvand M, LeDue J, Liu R, McVea D, Boyd J, Reimer M, Wang YT, Murphy TH (2013). Spontaneous intracortical activity alternates between sensory motifs defined by region-specific axonal projections. Nature Neuroscience 16;1426–1435 PMID: 23974708 (*equal co-first author) (Selected for Journal Cover).
    2. Lim DH, LeDue J, Mohajerani MH, Vanni MP, Murphy TH (2013). Optogenetic approaches for functional mouse brain mapping. Frontiers in Neuroscience 10;7:54 PMID: 23596383.
    3. Chen S, Mohajerani MH, Murphy TH (2012). Optogenetic analysis of neuronal excitability during global ischemia reveals selective deficits in sensory processing following reperfusion in mouse cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 32(39):13510-13519 PMID: 23015440.
    4. McVea D, Mohajerani MH, Murphy TH (2012). Studying the structure and function of cortical activity in developing rodents using VSD imaging in vivo. Journal of Neuroscience 8;32(32):10982-94. PMID: 22875932.
    5. Lim DH *, Mohajerani MH *, Boyd J, LeDue J, Chen S, Murphy TH (2012). Exogenous activation of output neurons using channelrhodopsin-2 reveals sensory maps and intracortical relationships. Front Neural Circuits 6:11. PMID: 22435052. (*equal co-first author) (Selected as Tier2 publication and become a Focused Review to be published in Frontiers in Neuroscience).
    6. Mohajerani MH, Aminoltejari K, Murphy TH (2011). Targeted mini-strokes produce changes in inter-hemispheric sensory signal processing that are indicative of dis-inhibition within minutes. PNAS 108(22): E183-E192. PMID: 21576480. (Highlighted by Nature 2011; 473:423).
    7. Mohajerani MH, McVea D, Fingas M, Murphy TH (2010). Mirrored bilateral processing of slow wave cortical activity within local circuits revealed by fast bi-hemispheric voltage-sensitive dye imaging in anesthetized and awake mice. Journal of Neuroscience 30(10):3745-51. PMID: 20220008. (Recommended in Faculty of 1000 Biology).
    8. Sigler A, Mohajerani MH, Murphy TH (2009). Voltage sensitive dye imaging reveals re-distribution of sensory-evoked activity through existing pathways within an hour of stroke in mice. PNAS 106(28):11759-64. PMID: 19571005.
    9. Sivakumaran S, Mohajerani MH, Cherubini E (2009). At immature mossy-fiber-CA3 synapses, correlated presynaptic and postsynaptic activity persistently enhances GABA release and network excitability via BDNF and cAMP-dependent PKA. Journal of Neuroscience 25;29(8):2637-47. PMID: 19063969. (Selected for Journal of Neuroscience Journal Club).
    10. Mohajerani MH, Sivakumaran S, Zacchi P, Aguilera P, Cherubini E (2007). Correlated network activity enhances synaptic efficacy via BDNF and the ERK pathway at immature CA3 CA1 connections in the hippocampus. PNAS 104: 32:13176-6. PMID: 17656555.
    11. Mohajerani MH, Cherubini E (2006). Role of giant depolarizing potentials in shaping synaptic currents in the developing hippocampus, Critical Review in Neurobiology. 18:1-2:13-23. PMID: 17725505.
    12. Mohajerani MH, Cherubini E (2005). Spontaneous recurrent network activity in organotypic rat hippocampal slices, European Journal of Neuroscience 22:1:107-12. PMID: 16029200.
    13. Raffaelli G, Saviane C, Mohajerani MH, Pedarzani P, Cherubini E (2004). BK potassium channels control transmitter release at CA3-CA3 synapses in the rat hippocampus., The Journal of Physiology-London 557:1:147-57. PMID: 15034127.
    14. Saviane C, Mohajerani MH, Cherubini E (2003). An ID-like current that is downregulated by Ca2+ modulates information coding at CA3-CA3 synapses in the rat hippocampus. The Journal of Physiology-London 552:2:513-12. PMID: 14561833.