Developmental Neurobiology Laboratory
Research in this laboratory is also related to Cancer, cell biology & development.
Head of laboratory:
The mammalian cortex is composed of many discrete areas that have unique functions. Each area has its own sets of inputs, outputs, internal circuitry and cytoarchitecture. These sets of connections underlie our ability to see, hear, speak, move, learn and reason; yet the mechanisms that allow the appropriate connections to form during development remain unknown. A number of neurological disorders such as autism, Retts syndrome, mental retardation and schizophrenia are believed to be a result of alterations in connectivity in the developing brain. This laboratory uses the somatosensory and visual pathways of the developing mouse as a model to investigate the role of specific molecules in regulating the pattern of cortical connectivity. Recent work from the laboratory has shown that a transmembrane protein, which is highly expressed in the developing visual system, plays a key role in establishing the normal connectivity of the visual pathway. Mice which lack the molecule have marked changes in the organisation of neuronal projections from the eye to the brain and most interestingly appear to have profound defects in vision.
An understanding of the mechanisms which allow appropriate sets of neural connections to form during development will ultimately lead to the development of treatments to promote neuronal regeneration following injury and therapies for developmental neurological disorders.
