Notable Achievements

Assistant Professor of Biology Kim McArthur, with co-authors Emma Astad ’21, Emmett Griffin-Baldwin ’22, Bria Tovar ’22, and Tori Tovar ’22, wrote a research article recently accepted in the Journal of Comparative Neurology. The article, entitled “Early development of respiratory motor circuits in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio),” uses a combination of behavioral analysis and functional calcium imaging to reveal the developmental time course of early synaptic inputs from respiratory, central pattern-generating circuits to the cranial motor neurons that generate coordinated breathing behaviors. This work provides critical foundational information about the development of an emerging model circuit in developmental neurobiology, setting the stage for future work probing the mechanisms of synapse development.

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Assistant Professor of Biology

Expertise

Neuroscience, Developmental Biology, Microscopy

Dr. Kim McArthur is a developmental neurobiologist. As an undergraduate, she attended another awesome liberal arts college (Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN), majoring in biology and religion. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis, then completed post-doctoral work at Cornell University before joining Southwestern as an assistant professor in 2019.

  • Biography

    Dr. Kim McArthur is a developmental neurobiologist. As an undergraduate, she attended another awesome liberal arts college (Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN), majoring in biology and religion. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis, then completed post-doctoral work at Cornell University before joining Southwestern as an assistant professor in 2019.

  • Research

    Students in the McArthur lab investigate the fundamentals of neural circuit development.

    What strategies do neurons use to choose their synaptic partners? How do these partnerships change over time, vary across individuals, and respond to disruptions? What are the consequences for neural circuit function and behavior?

    To answer these questions, we directly and non-invasively explore circuit development as it unfolds in the hindbrain of larval zebrafish, using a powerful combination of approaches — including electrophysiology, neuronal tracing, calcium imaging, and behavior.

  • Publications

    McArthur KL, Tovar VM*, Griffin-Baldwin E*, Tovar BD*, Astad EK*. (2023) Early development of respiratory motor circuits in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Comp Neurol. PMID: 36881713

    * indicates an SU student author

    McArthur KL, Fetcho JR. (2017) Key features of structural and functional organization of zebrafish facial motor neurons are resilient to disruption of neuronal migration. Curr Biol 27: 1746-1756.  PMID: 28602649

    • This research was covered in an interview for The Node.

    Chen S, Chiu CN, McArthur KL, Fetcho JR, Prober DA. (2016) TRP channel mediated neuronal activation and ablation in freely behaving zebrafish. Nat Methods 13: 147-150.  PMID: 26657556

    McArthur KL, Dickman JD. (2011) Behavioral state modulates the activity of brainstem sensorimotor neurons. J Neurosci 31: 16700-16708.  PMID: 22090497

    McArthur KL, Zakir M, Haque A, Dickman JD. (2011) Spatial and temporal characteristics of vestibular convergence. Neuroscience 192: 361-371.  PMID: 21756981

    McArthur KL, Dickman JD. (2011) State-dependent sensorimotor processing: gaze and posture stability during simulated flight in birds. J Neurophysiol 105: 1689-1700.  PMID: 21307332

    McArthur KL, Dickman JD. (2008) Canal and otolith contributions to compensatory tilt responses in pigeons. J Neurophysiol 100: 1488-1497.  PMID: 18632885