How is the brain assembled and sculpted during embryonic development? Addressing this question has enormous implications for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders affecting brain size and function as well the evolution of our brains. The overall mission of our research lab is to elucidate genetic and cellular mechanisms controlling cortical development and contributing to neurodevelopmental pathologies and brain evolution. We employ a multifaceted strategy to bridge developmental neurobiology, RNA biology, and evolution. Using mouse genetics, our lab discovered that components of an RNA binding complex, implicated in neurological disease, are essential for brain development and uncovered new key downstream pathways which mediate their function.
Using live imaging, we discovered that mRNA is rapidly transported and locally translated in neural progenitors, uncovering novel cellular processes within these critical cells. A parallel research focus is to understand how human-specific genomic changes influence species-specific brain development. We have uncovered new species-specific enhancers that function in neural progenitor fate and brain size. This seminar will discuss our current progress in these areas.