Austin Lim
College of Science and HealthNeuroscienceTeaching Associate ProfessorFaculty
DegreesPh.D.
Office
McGowan-North 131
BIO
Classes Taught
- Brain and Behavior (BIO 126)
- Physiological Psychology (PSY 377)
- Physiological Processes (PSY 406)
- The Brain Through Science Fiction (NEU 120)
- Introduction to Neuroscience (NEU 201)
- Neuroscience Research Methods (NEU 280)
- Seminar in Neuropsychopharmacology (NEU 310)
- Cellular Neurobiology (NEU 339 / BIO 339)
- Movement Neuroscience (NEU 351)
Research Interests
My primary interest in neurobiology is to understand the circuitry of a brain region called the "striatum". The striatum is important for everyday functions such as motor learning, decision making, and motivation. Improper neuronal signaling in the striatum is related to a wide variety of disorders, including Parkinson's disease, addiction, schizophrenia, and OCD. Getting a clearer picture of the way parts of the brain communicate with the striatum will help us develop therapies for these disorders.
Select Publications
Horror on the Brain. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781493084784/Horror-on-the-Brain-The-Neuroscience-Behind-Science-Fiction
Lim, A. (2024). Understanding Figures in Neuroscience Research: A Guide to Interpreting Graphs and Methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lim, Austin, "Open Neuroscience Initiative" (2021). College of Science and Health Full Text Publications. 2. https://via.library.depaul.edu/cshtextbooks/2)
Lim, SAO., Surmeier, DJ. Enhanced GABAergic Inhibition of Cholinergic Interneurons in the zQ175 +/- Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Front Syst Neurosci. 2021. Jan 20;14: 626412. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.626412. PMID: 33551760; PMCID: PMC7854471.
Striatal cholinergic interneurons and Parkinson's disease. Tanimura A, Pancani T, Lim SAO, Tubert C, Melendez AE, Shen W, Surmeier DJ. Eur J Neurosci. 2018 May;47(10):1148-1158.
Enhanced histamine H2 excitation of striatal cholinergic interneurons in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Lim SAO, Xia R, Ding Y, Won L, Ray WJ, Hitchcock SA, McGehee DS, Kang UJ. Neurobiol Dis. 2015 Apr;76:67-76.
Enhanced striatal cholinergic neuronal activity mediates L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in parkinsonian mice. Ding Y, Won L, Britt JP, Lim SA, McGehee DS, Kang UJ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jan 11;108(2):840-5.