Grant: Project Grant

Human nervous system consists of billions of neurons and each neuron is connected by a special interface called synapse. Neurons transmit signal through synapses to process information. It is therefore important to place synapses in the right place with their genuine partner cells. Synapses formed at the abnormal site will transmit signal to the improper cells, which causes malfunction of the neural network and is believed to cause various neurological disorders that affect higher order of brain function such as motor coordination, memory and thinking. My research goal is to understand the mechanisms that ensures precise synapse patterning in the nervous system. For this purpose, we use the nervous system of round worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, as an experimental model. C. elegans has a simple nervous system consists of 302 neurons, much less than that of a human (over 1 billion). Nevertheless, C. elegans employs almost the same machineries as mammals to build its nervous system. Therefore, knowledge obtained from our research using C. elegans will be directly applicable to human nervous system. Using C. elegans, we will study how precise synapse pattern is formed and how it is affected when we disrupt the function of genes which are believed to be misregulated in several neurological disorders including schizophrenia and Alzheimer's diseases. Using state-of-the-art microscope combined with genetic and biochemical analyses, we will uncover the mechanism of fine neuronal map formation toward our ultimate goal which is to find possible drug target to cure patients with neurological diseases.