Headshot of Robert Froemke.

Robert Froemke

Skirball Foundation Professor of Genetics
NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Robert Froemke is Skirball Foundation Professor of Genetics in the Neuroscience Institute and the otolaryngology and neuroscience departments at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. His lab studies neuromodulation, plasticity and behavior in rodents and humans. Froemke has a background in systems neuroscience, having performed Ph.D. work with Yang Dan at the University of California, Berkeley on spike-timing-dependent plasticity induced by natural spike trains in cortical networks. His postdoctoral research with Christoph Schreiner at the University of California, San Francisco focused on synaptic plasticity in vivo as related to auditory perception and behavior.

Froemke started his faculty position at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in 2010. He studies the synaptic mechanisms by which sounds acquire meaning, with a focus on oxytocin, maternal behavior and the use of neuroprosthetic devices, such as cochlear implants. For this work, he was awarded Sloan and Klingenstein Fellowships, and Pew and McKnight Scholarships. In 2021, Froemke was honored to receive a Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of brain organoids with astroglia formation represented in green.

Personalized medicine; astroglia organoids; fast track for fragile X drug

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 20 January.

By Jill Adams
21 January 2025 | 2 min read
Illustration of clinicians, a pill bottle, a speech bubble and shadowy figures.

Neuroscientists need to do better at explaining basic mental health research

The knowledge gap between scientists, health-care professionals, policymakers and people with mental health conditions is growing, slowing the translation of basic science to new treatments. Like lawyers learning to present a case to the court, scientists should learn to educate nonscientists about their findings.

By Omar Abubaker, Karla Kaun, Eric J. Nestler
21 January 2025 | 7 min read
Grid of human brain scans.

Dose, scan, repeat: Tracking the neurological effects of oral contraceptives

We know little about how the brain responds to oral contraceptives, despite their widespread use. I am committed to changing that: I scanned my brain 75 times over the course of a year and plan to make my data openly available.

By Carina Heller
20 January 2025 | 7 min read