Mattis Lab – Dissecting the circuit mechanisms of epilepsy

Our long-term goal is to develop new epilepsy treatments that are rationally designed to target precise circuit elements. We investigate how neuronal circuits are dysfunctional in epilepsy, and how these circuits can be modified to improve seizures.

The Mattis Lab is located in the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. We are affiliated with the Department of Neurology and with the Michigan Neuroscience Institute (MNI). The lab was founded June 2022, and we have already built a vibrant and productive lab community!

Mattis lab, June 2023

Research

Our research combines slice and in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and imaging techniques (2-photon and fiber photometry) in preclinical experimental models of epilepsy. We use this approach to study

The role of subcortical neuromodulatory networks in seizures
How subcortical neuromodulatory networks are chronically impacted in epilepsy

The role of subcortical neuromodulatory networks in seizures

The impact of chronic epilepsy on neuromodulatory networks

Lab News

Sep 16, 2025 - Joanna presents at the American Neurological Association (ANA) meeting
Joanna attended the ANA-NINDS Career Development Symposium (as a K-awardee) and presented the lab's work both at the symposium and at the associated ANA meeting (which was incidentally the 150th annual meeting of the ANA).

Aug 15, 2025 - Krystal selected for an SfN Trainee Professional Development Award
Congratulations to Krystal for being selected for a 2025 Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) through the Society for Neuroscience! This award will facilitate her attendance at the 2025 SfN conference and will provide access to a variety of professional development and training resources. Way to go, Krystal!

Aug 08, 2025 - The Mattis lab joins Bing Ye’s NIH R01 grant
We are thrilled to join Dr. Bing Ye's laboratory in dissecting hippocampal circuit pathology in Down syndrome mouse models. This collaboration, "Molecular regulators of GABAergic systems that underlie comorbidities in Down syndrome," will build from Joanna's postdoctoral work investigating corticohippocampal circuits in a Dravet Syndrome mouse model, and represents an exciting new scientific direction for the Mattis lab. Thank you to the National Institutes of Health for supporting this work.

Aug 07, 2025 - Chandni receives an NRSA (F31) from NINDS!
Congratulations to Chandni for being awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) to support the remainder of her dissertation research in the lab. This project, "The nigrotegmental circuit in an Scn1a+/- mouse model of Dravet Syndrome" focuses on crucial "choke point" regions that may be capable of exerting modulatory control over seizures. Thank you to the National Institutes of Health for supporting this work, and Chandni's career!

Aug 06, 2025 - Sreyashi awarded U@MNI scholarship
Congratulations to Sreyashi for being awarded a U@MNI research position for 2025-2026! This is a funded position through the Michigan Neuroscience Institute. In addition to supporting Sreyashi's work in the lab, U@MNI also offers a series of social and professional development meetings - organized by Neuroscience Graduate Program PhD students - culminating in a poster presentation to showcase undergraduate research. Congrats, Sreyashi!

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