University of California-Los Angeles · PhysiologyAstrocyte Interactions and Brain Health Lab
Baljit Khakh · Los Angeles, California
Research Focus
Dr. Baljit Khakh's lab at UCLA focuses on the role of astrocytes, a type of brain cell, in understanding brain functions and diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. The lab investigates how astrocytes interact with neurons and other brain cells within neural circuits to maintain brain health and how these processes can become dysfunctional in conditions like aging and Alzheimer’s. By examining protein changes in these cells, the lab aims to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases.
astrocytesAlzheimer's diseaseneural circuitsproteomicsagingbrain functionneuron-astrocyte interactiondisease mechanismstherapeutic targets
Research Aims
3AIM 01Characterize astrocyte and neuron-specific proteomic methods in various brain regions.
AIM 02Determine protein dynamics of astrocytes and neurons during normal aging in mouse models.
AIM 03Analyze how astrocyte and neuron protein changes relate to aberrant network activity in Alzheimer's disease models.
Skills the Lab Values
molecular biology techniquescell cultureproteomicsin vivo imagingimmunohistochemistryWestern blotRNA sequencingdata analysismouse models
Output against the department
Publications170top 42% of dept.121st of 286
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations27ktop 9% of dept.26th of 286
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.