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Epilepsies are a diverse group of neurological disorders characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. While more than 900 genes have been linked to epilepsy in humans, the mechanisms through which many of these genes lead to seizures are still not fully understood. Zebrafish offer unique advantages for studying human diseases and hold promise as a model for advancing our understanding of epilepsy genetics and developing new therapies. In the Downes Lab, researchers use a combination of genetic, behavioral, and cellular tools to study several rare epilepsy-related genes using zebrafish.

Gerald Downes is a Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). He earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Washington University School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Downes has received numerous honors for his research, including a Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship at Washington University, a Merck/United Negro College Fund Fellowship, and research awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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