About the Lab
Research in the Arey lab focuses on the molecular underpinnings of complex behavior, primarily learning and memory, and the mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline. We use the short-lived model organism C. elegans, which shares many aging traits, including deficits in learning and memory, with humans to study this problem.
The lab uses an interdisciplinary approach, combining classical C. elegans genetics with NextGen genomics techniques, such as RNA-seq, along with behavioral assays and microscopy to identify new molecules that control learning and memory, with the ultimate goal of translating our findings in this simple system into higher organisms.
Grant Funding
Dr. Rachel Arey, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology and in the Center for Precision Environmental Health, received a three-year, $225,000 grant from the Whitehall Foundation Inc. for her project to better understand the ability to form long-term memories. She will use the C. elegans model system to learn more about mRNAs involved in this poorly understood process.
Primary Investigator
For more information on Dr. Rachel Arey, see her BCM faculty bio:
