NEURAL CIRCUITS FOR MOVEMENT

Dr. McElvain is an Assistant Professor in the Neurobiology Section of the Department of Biological Sciences at USC. She received a Sc.B. in Neuroscience from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from UC San Diego. In her doctoral research, she investigated cellular and synaptic mechanisms of sensorimotor signaling in the brainstem with Dr. Sascha du Lac at the Salk Institute. As a postdoctoral fellow, she instigated the anatomical and functional organization of basal ganglia circuitry with Dr. Rui Costa at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal and with Dr. David Kleinfeld at UC San Diego. 

Minh is a PhD student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at USC. She received a B.Sc in Neuroscience from UCLA. Her current research project in the McElvain lab focuses on motor behavior functions and the neuroanatomical connectivity of the basal ganglia's output structures.

.

Ava is a senior majoring in Human Biology at the University of Southern California. Her academic pursuits are driven by a keen interest in understanding Parkinson's Disease at a neuroscience level. Specifically, she focuses on investigating the effects of dopamine depletion on orofacial motor function, employing mouse models of Parkinson's Disease.

Saeed is a Junior studying Neuroscience with a minor in Performance Science. His passion lies in bridging the gap between research and medicine, with a focus on unraveling and understanding the intricate circuitry of the brain, particularly the basal ganglia and its relation to Parkinson's disease.

.

We are recruiting motivated and curious students, postdocs, and technicians to join our growing lab.

​

Contact Dr. McElvain at:

mcelvain AT usc DOT edu