The Neural Circuits and Behavioral Core offers state-of-the-art equipment for behavioral testing and tissue imaging. Investigators may request access or training to the facility to conduct their own experiments, or consult with the Core to have the Core staff conduct the experiments for them. In addition, the Core is available for consultations regarding experiment-planning and statistical analyses.
About our facility
The NCBC is a part of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI). It is located within the John and Mary Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building (PBDB). The NCBC's animal housing and behavioral testing rooms are located within PBDB's barrier animal facility. Core imaging equipment is located within the INI on the second floor of PBDB.
Shane Heiney, PhD
Shane Heiney received his PhD in Neuroscience from Washington University in St Louis and did postdoctoral work with Javier Medina at the University of Pennsylvania and Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on the role of the cerebellum in skilled movements, with a particular focus on local circuit processing within the cerebellum and circuit interactions of the cerebellum with midbrain and forebrain regions. Dr. Heiney has expertise in non-human primate and rodent behavior, single unit in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, and various microscopy/imaging techniques.
Sydney Sands
Sydney is a junior at Iowa majoring in Neuroscience with interests in physics, chemistry, and biology of life on Earth (but especially nervous systems). She helps run the Iowa Neuroscience Club where she gets to meet with faculty and students interested in science and medicine. Outside of school Sydney loves to doodle, cook, and listen to music.
Jason Hardie, PhD
Jason received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did postdoctoral work with Dr. Nelson Spruston at Northwestern University. He has most recently worked as a research scientist with Dr. John Wemmie at the University of Iowa. His research interests include dendritic and cellular integration, synaptic transmission and plasticity, intracellular calcium dynamics, biophysical properties of ion channels and their impact cellular integration, and circuit dynamics. He is highly experienced in whole-cell patch-clamp and fluorescence techniques, having worked in a number of brain regions and preparations, including hippocampus, amygdala, striatum, neocortex, cerebellum, and cell cultures. He not only generates high quality data for a number of studies, but is committed to teaching theoretical and experimental approaches that link molecular and cellular mechanisms to the greater enterprise of neuroscience research, with the ultimate goal of improving human health.
Steve Zeng
Steve is a high-school student at West Senior High. Thanks to his high school's extensive program, he was able to enroll in numerous STEM classes at the University of Iowa. At the moment, he is interested in chemistry, EECS, neuroscience, and — chances are, if the topic sounds interesting, he's probably interested in it too. His hobbies include swimming, violin, and literature.
Brandt Uitermarkt, MA
Brandt received his Masters in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Iowa in 2013. He has over 10 years of research experience working in neuroscience research at the University and has published on topics related to sleep physiology, brain imaging, and brain stimulation. Brandt assists with daily operations of the Core and provides support to current and prospective users of the facility.
Nikša Poleksić, BS
Nikša graduated from the University of Iowa with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. He joined the core in 2021 as an undergraduate research assistant, and currently works full time as a research intern. His interests include studying the role of the cerebellum in predictive motor control and motor learning. In his spare time, Nikša enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and attending concerts.
Daniel Wilkerson
Daniel is an undergraduate Mathematics and Computer Science major in their fourth year at the University of Iowa. They are interested in all things mathematical, but find that abstract algebra and formal logic capture their attention the most often. Outside of academics, they enjoy reading, meeting pets, cooking great food, and playing board games with their friends.