Dynamics Club
Launched in 2022, Dynamics Club is a UCLA-based forum for junior scientists to discuss nonlinear dynamics in biology and physiology. Starting from 2024, this is also the home for the Interoception Dynamics Affinity Group.
Our monthly seminars are mostly on Zoom, with hybrid access to in-person events. Campus visits are made possible by the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCBio) and Brain Research Institute (BRI).
Currently, we have 345 members. If you’re new, sign up here!
Job opportunities:
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Sahib Khalsa at UCLA (Details)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Natalie Porat-Shliom at NIH/NCI (Details)
- A postdoctoral position is available with Dr. Paul François at Université de Montréal (Details)
Key References (PDFs are available online):
Modeling Life by Alan Garfinkel, Jane Shetsov and Yina Guo (Teaching Materials)
Dynamics Club in September (Con’d):
Pericyte KATP channel hyperactivity redistributes cortical blood flow
Speaker: Dr. Danielle A. Jeffrey (Postdoctoral Fellow, CU Anschutz)
Date and Time: September 24 (Thursday) at 9am Pacific Time / 10am Mountain Time / 12pm Eastern Time
Virtual Event on Zoom (Meeting ID: 994 5303 0616; Passcode: 302570)
Abstract:
Cerebral hemodynamic dysfunction is a key driver of unhealthy brain aging. Impaired microcirculatory reactivity leads to uneven perfusion, rendering deeper brain regions more vulnerable and thereby contributing to cognitive decline. Yet how capillaries contribute to these deficits remains poorly defined. Here we combined spatial transcriptomics with in vivo two-photon and three-photon imaging to measure layer-specific cerebral blood flow in control and small vessel disease model mice (CADASIL TgNotch3R169C). We found downregulation of ATP-synthesizing genes, indicating microvascular metabolic impairment that paralleled impaired pericyte bioenergetics. This energy deficit coincided with diminished tone in the arteriole-capillary transitional zone and reduced deep-layer perfusion. Complementary electrophysiology, ex vivo and in silico approaches, revealed that hyperactive KATP channels in pericytes drive a redistribution of cerebral blood flow toward superficial cortical layers. This loss of spatial perfusion equalization, despite preserved global flow, contributed to deep-layer hypoperfusion, establishing a previously underrecognized but tractable vascular function disrupted in aging pathology.
Scheduled Sessions:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) |
| Oct 15 | Sleep deprivation on cerebral vasomotion and brain pulsations | Dr. Sara M. U. Larsen (University of Copenhagen) |
| Nov 4 | Meal timing entrains circadian rhythms in the dorsal vagal complex | Dr. Lukasz Chrobok (University of Bristol) |
| 2026 | Neurophysiological principles of reward | Dr. Annie Park (Oxford University) |
| 2026 | How Neural Heterogeneity Controls Network Function | Dr. Megan Kirchgessner (NYU) |
Past Events in 2026:
| Date | Topic | Speaker(s) | Materials |
| Jan 20 | Microdomain Metabolism in Pacemaker Myocytes: The Ca2+ Clock Drives the ATP Clock | Manuel Munoz Camus, PhD (UC Davis) | Pubmed |
| Feb 13 | Pulsed stimuli enable p53 phase resetting to synchronize single cells and modulate cell fate | Harish Venkatachalapathy, PhD (UMN) | Pubmed |
| Mar 6 | Pulsed stimuli enable p53 phase resetting to synchronize single cells and modulate cell fate | Richard Gast, PhD (Scripps Research) | Pubmed |
| Apr 10 | LNE Seminar: Leveraging small but persistent differences for detection in human health | Benjamin Smarr, PhD (UCSD) | Pubmed |
| Jun 25 | Epinephrine oscillation enhances the alertness of target cells to stress | Mark Greenwood, PhD (Whitehead Institute) | |
| Aug 26 | Immunometabolism in the brain: How brain-resident macrophages regulate tissue homeostasis | Drew Adler, PhD (NYU) | Pubmed |
| Sep 9 | Capturing spatiotemporal organization of tissue-wide Ca2+ activity in skin vasculature | Anush Swaminathan, PhD (Yale University) | Pubmed |
Past Events in 2025
Past Events in 2024
Past Events in 2023
Past Events in 2022