Kevin Bender is professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. His lab focuses on understanding how the brain encodes information at the synaptic, cellular and network level. Work primarily revolves around understanding how ion channels and modulation of ion channels contribute to these processes in health and in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions. This includes studies related to neurodevelopmental channelopathies, for which he is grateful to be able to work with close colleagues and partners from academia, industry and patient advocacy groups.
Kevin Bender
Professor of neurology
University of California, San Francisco
From this contributor
Should I work with these people? A guide to collaboration
By
Kevin Bender
10 September 2024 | 7 min read
Selected articles
- “Impaired cerebellar plasticity hypersensitizes sensory reflexes in SCN2A-associated ASD” | Neuron
- “Physical and functional convergence of the autism risk genes Scn2a and Ank2 in neocortical pyramidal cell dendrites” | Neuron
- “Arrestin-3 Agonism at Dopamine D3 Receptors Defines a Subclass of Second-Generation Antipsychotics That Promotes Drug Tolerance” | Biological Psychiatry
- “The Autism-Associated Gene Scn2a Contributes to Dendritic Excitability and Synaptic Function in the Prefrontal Cortex” | Neuron
- “Periadolescent Maturation of GABAergic Hyperpolarization at the Axon Initial Segment” | Cell Reports
Explore more from The Transmitter
Neuroscience conference policy draws confusion, apology
NeurIPS organizers apologized and altered course after issuing a policy that barred submissions from researchers at U.S.-government-sanctioned institutions.
Neuroscience conference policy draws confusion, apology
NeurIPS organizers apologized and altered course after issuing a policy that barred submissions from researchers at U.S.-government-sanctioned institutions.
By
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
27 March 2026 | 5 min read
Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’
The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.
Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’
The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
26 March 2026 | 4 min read
‘Friction-maxxing’ in school: Students should read primary literature, not AI summaries
Trainees need to learn how to identify a neuroscience paper’s major takeaways and integrate them into their understanding. This skill doesn’t come from outsourcing the work to large language models.
‘Friction-maxxing’ in school: Students should read primary literature, not AI summaries
Trainees need to learn how to identify a neuroscience paper’s major takeaways and integrate them into their understanding. This skill doesn’t come from outsourcing the work to large language models.
By
Nora Bradford
26 March 2026 | 5 min read