Lars H Nelson

I am a neuroscientist, computer programmer and scientific handyman with expertise in electrophysiological signal processing, data analysis and data visualization.

Experience

Manager Basic Science Research

UPMC

2024-Present

Conduct electrophysiology experiments, provide data analysis expertise, advise on experimental design for electrophysiology experiments, develop custom data analysis routines for in-vivo electrophysiology and fiber photometry, maintain equipment, and teach electrophysiology skills.
I have extracted novel insights from gene expression, fixed-ratio behavioral tasks, electrophysiology and photometry data.
Writing a book, Patch Clamp Handbook, on the design and analysis of slice electrophysiology experiment.
Developed Lithos, a Matplotlib-based plotting package for better plotting of nested and heirarchical data. Lithos also simplifies formatting plots and provides metadata so save and reuse plots formats.

Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Pittsburgh

2020-2024

Primary research involves analyzing corticostriatal circuit function and connectivity in developing and adult Shank3B and FMR1 mouse models using in-vivo electrophysiology, ex-vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology and optogenetics.
Developed ClampSuite (https://github.com/LarsHenrikNelson/ClampSuite), a Python based application to analyze patch-clamp electrophysiology data acquired using ScanImage. ClampSuite is able to analyze evoked EPSCs and LFPs, current clamp pulse cycles, and m/sEPSCs.
Developed analysis for dual multi-channel in-vivo LFP recordings which includes burst finding, pairwise coherence measures, spectral measures, and other signal properties, and basic user interface to view LFP bursts.
Published one first author paper and one co-author paper.

Graduate Research Assistant

The Ohio State University

2014-2020

Studied how microglia regulate cell genesis during brain development and programmed behavior using immunolabeling, qPCR, image processing and behavioral analysis.
Responsibilities included managing research projects, data analysis, scientific writing, managing and mentoring undergraduates working in lab and teaching other new graduate students lab techniques.
Published three first author papers and three co-authored reviews, and gave several talks and poster presentations at local and international conferences.

Education

Ph.D. in Neuroscience

The Ohio State University

2020

Dissertation: Microglia are Crucial to the Early Life Programming of Cell Genesis, Myelination, Sex-Specific Brain Organization, and Motivated Behavior
Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Lenz

B.S. in Biology

The American University

2014

Publications

Delayed onset of striatal projection neuron hyperexcitability in Fmr1−/y mice

Nelson, L.H., Janeček, M., Matarazzo, M., Shih, Y.-C., Peixoto, R.T.

Front. Cell. Neurosci 2025

Early postnatal dysfunction of ACC PV interneurons in Shank3B−/− mice

Shih, Y.-C., Nelson, L.H., Janeček, M., Matarazzo, M., D’Agostino, A., Peixoto, R.T.

Molecular Psychiatry 2025

Microglia Regulate Cell Genesis in a Sex-dependent Manner in the Neonatal Hippocampus

Nelson, L.H., Peketi, P., & Lenz, K.M.

Neuroscience 2020

Small cells with big implications: Microglia and sex differences in brain development, plasticity and behavioral health

Nelson, L.H., Saulsbery, A.I., & Lenz, K.M.

Progress in Neurobiology 2018

Microglia and Beyond: Innate Immune Cells As Regulators of Brain Development and Behavioral Function

Nelson, L.H., & Lenz, K.M.

Frontiers in Immunology 2018

Sex differences in microglial phagocytosis in the neonatal hippocampus

Nelson, L.H., Warden, S., & Lenz, K.M.

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 2017

The immune system as a novel regulator of sex differences in brain and behavioral development: Immune System, Sex Differences, and Brain and Behavioral Development

Nelson, L.H., & Lenz, K.M.

Journal of Neuroscience Research 2017

Centrally Synthesized Estradiol is a Potent Anti-Inflammatory in the Injured Zebra Finch Brain

Pedersen, A.L., Nelson, L.H., & Lenz, K.M.

Endocrinology 2016

Microglia depletion in early life programs persistent changes in social, mood-related, and locomotor behavior in male and female rats

Nelson, L.H., & Lenz, K.M.

Behavioural Brain Research 2016

A Quantification of the Injury-Induced Changes in Central Aromatase, Oestrogenic Milieu and Steroid Receptor Expression in the Zebra Finch

Mehos, C.J., Nelson, L.H., & Lenz, K.M.

Journal of Neuroendocrinology 2016

Projects

Patch Clamp Handbook

Tutorial on the design and analysis of patch clamp electrophysiology experiments. Includes Python code and a detailed dive into electrophysiology data.

Clampsuite

Whole-cell patch-clamp analysis routines for postsynaptic currents, current pulse cycles and electrically/optically evoked postsynaptic currents.

InVivoSuite

In vivo electrophysiology analysis with support for PL2 files, Kilosort and Phy. Analysis routines include spike synchrony and burst finding, spike-phase alignment, and phase discontinuities.

Lithos

Matplotlib-based plotting package with an emphasis on plotting nested categorical data.