The University of British Columbia

Core Area(s): Behavioural Neuroscience

Biographical Sketch & Research Interests
My research is focussed on understanding how experience changes the nervous system. To do this I used a model system to study 1) the effects of experience early in development on adult behaviour and the nervous system and 2) adult learning and memory. The model system I use is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a popular genetic model system. We use behavioral, neural circuit and genetic analyses to determine the mechanisms through which experience alters the nervous system.

Courses Taught
PSYC 363 Learning and Memory, PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology, PSYC 101, PSYC 524 Neural Models of Learning and Memory, PSYC 514 Genes and Behaviour

Representative Publications
Rankin, CH, Abrams,T., Barry, RJ., Bhatnagar,S. Clayton, D., Colombo,J., Coppola,G., Geyer,MA., Glanzman, DL. Marsland, S., McSweeney,F., Wilson,DA., Wu, CF., and Thompson, RF (2009) Habituation Revisited: An Updated and Revised Description of the Behavioral Characteristics of Habituation. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 92, 135-138.

Giles, A.C. and Rankin, C.H. (2008) Behavioral and Genetic Characterization of Habituation using Caenorhabditis elegans Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 92, 139-146.

Rose, J. K. and Rankin, C.H. (2006) Blocking Memory Reconsolidation Reverses A Cellular Mechanism of Memory. Journal of Neuroscience 26 (45), 11582-11587.