Gergely Turi

I obtained my diploma in Biology at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, where I studied biology and neurobiology under the supervision of Professors Géza Zboray and Miklós Sass.

During my PhD, I worked with Prof. Zsolt Liposits at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, where I studied neuroendocrinology and neuroanatomy. I then joined Dr. Balázs Rózsa’s lab as a junior postdoc for two years, receiving training in hippocampal slice physiology and single-cell calcium recordings. While working with Balázs, I also developed 3D two-photon imaging applications in collaboration with Femtonics.

In 2010, I moved to the United States and began a postdoctoral fellowship with Attila Losonczy at Columbia University. In Attila’s lab, I investigated the role of hippocampal interneurons in regulating dendritic integration, CA1 circuit functions and spatial navigation. I first conducted classical single-cell electrophysiological experiments combined with one- and two-color glutamate uncaging, and later developed in vivo two-photon imaging techniques to study how hippocampal neurons encode spatial information.

In 2016, I joined Prof. René Hen’s division at the New York State Psychiatric Institute / Columbia Psychiatry, where I developed a research program focused on memory functions in neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD. During this time, I led the institute’s Preclinical Imaging Core and investigated the role of serotonin in sleep–wake regulation and hippocampal function. I also studied the impact of psychedelic compounds on the stress axis.

In 2025, I reunited with Prof. Attila Losonczy at UT Southwestern, where I currently serve as an Assistant Professor on the research track in the newly established Program in Memory Longevity, led by Attila. Our laboratory is building a cutting-edge research program and facilty to study the molecular and synaptic mechanisms of memory formation and consolidation. We are also exploring how memory functions can be enhanced in the aging population or restored in aging-related dementias.