Maintaining the Balance: Coordinating Excitation and Inhibition in a Simple Motor Circuit: A Dissertation

The signature of the Chair of the Committee signifies that the written dissertation meets the requirements of the Dissertation Committee. The signature of the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences signifies that the student has met all graduation requirements of the school. iii Dedication I would like to thank my parents, Howard and Doreen, for their support in my graduate school endeavor. Your support in my education and goals has been the foundation of my life's success. I love you both. I would like to thank my sister, Merideth, who has provided comic relief during the long days of science. To the rest of my extended family, thank you for your everlasting encouragement. To my husband, Don Petrash, you are a great joy in my life. My successes are sweeter when shared with you. You have given me so much patience and love during this journey and you never once doubted I would succeed. I love you and cannot thank you enough for believing in me. I look forward to the following chapters in our life together. iv Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to convey my deepest appreciation for my thesis advisor, Dr. Michael Francis, without whom I may never have learned to identify " the biological question ". You allowed me to work on a fascinating project that I have loved being involved in. Your support and encouragement have been critical to my success as a scientist. There are no words that I can think of to adequately thank you for the experience you have given me. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you. Thank you. Dr. Daniel Chase for seeing me through the science and encouraging me to push ahead. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Tissenbaum who provided me with encouragement and support in reaching my scientific goals. would like to thank you for your feedback and guidance in my scientific development. Lastly, I would like to thank all the members, past and present, of the Francis, Alkema, and Bénard laboratories for creating an environment that encourages discussions and development as a scientist. I have made lasting connections with many of these people, creating a second family that I hope to carry with me into the future. Thank you all. Abstract The generation of complex behaviors often requires the coordinated activity of diverse sets of neural circuits …