Katherine Roche

Dr. Roche is a Senior Investigator in the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Over the last two decades, Dr. Roche has studied the molecular mechanisms that underlie synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses. She has studied glutamate receptors and other postsynaptic proteins and mechanisms that dictate their expression at synapses. More recently, her research program has focused on using human genetics to better understand the synaptic dysfunction underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, the Roche lab investigates rare variants in NMDA receptors (GRINs), the neuroligin family of adhesion molecules (NLGNs), and postsynaptic scaffolding proteins (MAGUKs; SHANKs; TRIO). Using molecular and biochemical approaches, her lab characterizes mechanistic dysfunction and generates related mouse models to study in an in vivo context.