Dr. Thomas Fisher
When we don’t drink enough water, two things happen – we get thirsty (of course) and a specific set of neurons in our brain release a hormone (vasopressin) that induces our kidneys to preserve water. Dr. Fisher's lab is interested in the processes by which those neurons sense insufficient water intake and start firing more action potentials and releasing more vasopressin. We propose that these osmosensitive neurons adapt to sustained water deficits by shifting excitatory ion channels from intracellular vesicles to the neuronal surface and that this is an essential mechanism to protect us from the harm caused by excessive dehydration.