Paul S. Katz

B.A., Northwestern University, 1982

M.S., Northwestern University, 1982

Ph.D., Cornell University, 1989

Postdoctoral: Brandeis University, 1989 - 1992

Research Interests: 

Dr. Katz is interested in the structure, function, development, and evolution of nervous systems. In particular, his lab focuses on the nervous system of the nudibranch mollusc, Berghia stephanieae. Unlike vertebrates, Berghia, octopuses, and other molluscs have brains that continue to add neurons throughout their life. His lab’s approach is to use a combination of volume electron microscopy, transcriptomics, physiology, and behavior in this novel laboratory species. The lab is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

There is a remarkable convergence in the form and function of olfactory systems in insects and. However, there are indications that molluscan olfactory systems may not exhibit this organization suggesting that there may be an alternative mechanism for olfactory coding. The Katz lab is determining whether Berghia represents a violation of the universal principle of olfactory glomerular organization.

The Katz lab collaborates with Jeff Lichtman’s lab at Harvard to reconstruct neurons and synapses and create a developmental connectomic atlas of the Berghia brain. Among other things, they are constructing developmental connectomes to follow the connectivity of individual neurons. At the time of hatching, Berghia has only 500 neurons in its central ring ganglia. This number increases ten-fold to over 5000 in less than 6 weeks. Moreover, the rhinophore ganglion develops de novo at hatching and increases to 9000 neurons in the same amount of time. Finally, Berghia can regenerate, not just parts of its body, but parts of its brain. These features provide a unique opportunity to life-long neurogenesis and resilience.

Representative Publications: 

Otter K, Gomidova S, & Katz PS (2024) Social predation by a nudibranch mollusc, BioRxiv  2024.07.01.600874; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.01.600874 

Ramirez MD, Bui TN, & Katz PS (2024) Cellular-resolution gene expression mapping reveals organization in the head ganglia of the gastropod, Berghia stephanieae. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 532, e25628. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.25628 

Tait CC, Olson MN, Nedeljkovic K, Kirchner E, and Katz PS (2024) Expression patterns and behavioral effects of conopressin and APGWamide in the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae, Peptides, 179: 171253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171253 

Tait CC, Ramirez MD, and Katz PS (2024) Egg-laying hormone expression in identified neurons across developmental stages and reproductive states of the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae, Hormones and Behavior, 164: 105578, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105578 

Drescher B, Sant HH, Schalek RL, Lichtman JW, and Katz PS (2024) Sample preparation methods for volume electron microscopy in mollusc Berghia stephanieae, bioRxiv 2024.02.25.581936; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.25.581936 

Goodheart JA, Rio RA, Taraporevala NF, Fiorenza RA, Barnes SR, Morrill K, Jacob MAC, Whitesel C, Masterson P, Batzel GO, Johnston HT, Ramirez MD, Katz PS, Lyons DC. (2024) A chromosome-level genome for the nudibranch gastropod Berghia stephanieae helps parse clade-specific gene expression in novel and conserved phenotypes. BMC Biol 22, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-024-01814-3 

Albertin CB, Katz PS (2023) Evolution of cephalopod nervous systems. Current Biology 33: R1087-R91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.092   

Pavarino EC, Yang E, Dhanyasi N, Wang M, Bidel F, Lu X, Yang F, Park CF, Renuka, MB, Drescher B, Samuel ADT, Hochner B, Katz PS, Zhen M, Lichtman JW, Meirovitch Y (2023) mEMbrain: an interactive deep learning MATLAB tool for connectomic segmentation on commodity desktops. Front. Neural Circuits, 17: 952921.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2023.952921  

Katz PS, Lyons DC (2023) Cephalopod vision: How to build a better eye [Dispatch], Current Biology. 33(1) R27-R30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.054 

Quinlan, PD & Katz PS (2022) State-dependent, visually-guided behaviors in the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae, bioRxiv 2022.10.24.513581; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.24.513581 

Tamvacakis AN, Lillvis, JL, Sakurai A, Katz PS (2022) The consistency of gastropod identified neurons distinguishes intra-individual plasticity from inter-individual variability in neural circuits, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 16: 855235. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.855235 

Katz PS (2019) My Word: The conservative bias of life scientists. Current Biology, 29, R663–R682. PMID:31336077  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.066. 

Sakurai A, Katz PS. (2019) Command or obey? Homologous neurons differ in hierarchical position for the generation of homologous behaviors. J Neurosci. 39 (33) 6460-6471;. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3229-18.2019. PubMed PMID: 31209170.

Katz PS and Quinlan PD (2019) The importance of identified neurons in gastropod molluscs to neuroscience, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 56:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2018.10.009 

Tamvacakis AN, Senatore A, and Katz PS. (2018) Single neuron serotonin receptor subtype gene expression correlates with behaviour within and across three molluscan species. Proc. Royal Soc. B 285: 20180791; http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1885/20180791