• Synapse formation and synaptic plasticity
• Psychiatric and neurological disorders including schizophrenia, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) 

Highly efficient communication among neurons and between a neuron and a target cell is made possible by synapses, contacts formed between two neurons. Despite significant progress in our understanding of anatomic structures of synapses, little is known about mechanisms of synapse formation and how synapses reshape in response to environmental change. Our goal is to understand mechanisms underlying these processes and what goes wrong at synapses in psychiatric and neurological diseases. Our studies will identify targets to develop therapeutic strategies for treating disorders whose pathogenesis involves abnormal synaptic structure. They include schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism, muscular dystrophy and ALS.

The lab currently has two projects: The first is to study neuregulin-1 and its receptor ErbB4, both candidate genes of schizophrenia. Our recent results suggest that neuregulin-1 regulates neurotransmission at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. A combination of genetic, molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral approaches is used to investigate whether neuregulin-1/ErbB4 signaling regulates brain activity and behavior and, if so, how.  Results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of schizophrenia and other disorders, including epilepsy and autism.  The other project is to study synapse formation using the neuromuscular junction, a peripheral synapse, as a model. We are interested in pathways to which motor nerves and muscle fibers direct pre- and post-synaptic differentiation. Results of this project contribute a better understanding of muscular dystrophy and ALS.

I came to Georgia because of the vision of the leadership at the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Research Alliance and because of a creative and productive environment.