Neuroscience Seminar Series

Profile & Research

Abstract: “My laboratory research focuses on understanding how the extensive morphological, molecular, and functional diversity of neural cell types is established during central nervous system development. We concentrate on the forebrain, with particular attention to the cerebral cortex and the septal nucleus of the basal forebrain. Our long-term goal is to determine how genetics, local cellular environment and epigenetic programs, tied to the spatial and temporal identity of progenitor cells, dictates fate choice. We are also interested in how these diverse populations of neurons and glial cells coordinate to assemble the precise circuitry of the mammalian forebrain. In this talk, I will highlight our efforts to understand the developmental programs that generate diverse cell types and circuits in the septum, and the unique features of these cells that enable them to control specific emotional behaviors.”