In utero electroporated hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells expressing EGFP.
Dissociated cortical pyramidal neuron labeled with anti-GFP (green), anti-Npn2 (blue), and anti-PSD95 (red).
Our laboratory is interested in identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the proper wiring of neuronal connections in the mammalian central nervous system during development, how these connections are maintained throughout life, and how they are compromised in disease states. Previously, our research has established novel mechanisms by which components of a well-conserved molecular signaling cascade serve as key determinants in the establishment of complex mammalian neural networks. Using genetic mouse models as well as cellular, molecular, and live imaging techniques, we will investigate how guidance molecules and their downstream signaling pathways regulate cellular morphology, axonal guidance and synapse formation. In the long-term, we will extend this work to investigate both excitatory and inhibitory synaptogenesis in the mammalian brain and spinal cord. We anticipate that our results will provide a platform to study complex neural network formation, further our understanding of the establishment and balance of both excitatory and inhibitory neuronal circuitry, and how defects in these connections lead to development of neurological disorders.
**Above figure: Golgi stained pyramidal neuron taken from the adult mouse layer 5 neocortex.