Dr. Iyengar is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Biological Sciences. Before joining the UA community, he was an Adjunct Lecturer and Post-Doctoral Scholar at the University of Iowa. Dr. Iyengar received his BSE in Biomedical Engineering (’09), BS in Biology (’09) and PhD in Neuroscience (’16) all from the University of Iowa.
Representative Publications
- Diet modifies allele-specific phenotypes in Drosophila carrying epilepsy-associated PNPO variants. W. Chi, A. Iyengar, W. Fu, A. Berg, C.-F. Wu, X. Zhuang. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 119: e2115524119, 2022.
- Distinct aging-vulnerable trajectories of motor circuit functions in oxidation- and temperature-stressed Drosophila, A. Iyengar, H. Ruan, C.-F. Wu. eNeuro. 9: 0433-21.221, 2022.
- Fly seizure EEG: field potential activity in the Drosophila brain, A. Iyengar, C.-F. Wu. J. Neurogenet. 35: 295-305, 2021.
- prickle modulates polarity and axonal transport to ameliorate seizures in flies, S. Ehaideb, A. Iyengar, A. Ueda, G. Iacobucci, C. Cranston, A. Bassuk, D. Gubb, J. Axelrod, S. Gunawardena, C.-F. Wu, J. Manak. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111:11187-11192, 2014.
- Automated quantification of locomotion, social interaction and mate preference in Drosophila mutants, A. Iyengar, J. Imoehl, A. Ueda, J. Nirschl, C.-F. Wu. J. Neurogenet. 26:306-316, 2012.
Research Interest
Proper brain function requires the concerted action of a diverse array of gene products. Our broad research interests center on how genes which regulate neuronal excitability (e.g. ion channels) and/or neurotransmission (e.g. neurotransmitter receptors) interact with one-another and with the extrinsic environmental factors (e.g. diet, stress, temperature) to shape normal and aberrant nervous system activity. We utilize the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism, and employ both classical and transgenic approaches to precisely manipulate the genome. In these single- and double-mutants flies, we correlate changes in neuronal structure and function with alterations in motor circuit activity patterns and the organization of behavioral repertoires. Findings from our work provide basic insights on the organization of the Drosophila nervous system and often have implications on understanding the etiology neurological disease.
