The mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of functional neural circuits are crucial for the proper function of the brain, and their impairment can lead to severe neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although we know quite a bit about genetic changes associated with diseases such as schizophrenia and autism, we know very little about the pathophysiology of these diseases, or how they lead to behavioral impairment. This gap between genetics and behavior results in part from a lack in detailed understanding of how the activity in defined neural circuits gives rise to cognition and behavior, and how their dysfunction contributes to disability.
We use a multidisciplinary approach to studying neural circuits, combining molecular biology, electrophysiology, imaging and behavioral techniques. Work in the lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms by which the prefrontal cortex, a high-level cortical structure, regulates behavior. Using optogenetic tools we aim to dissect its inputs and outputs and understand how genetic changes associated with psychiatric disease can lead to circuit dysfunction and behavioral impairment. |
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