Grant: Operating Grant

The developing brain undergoes tremendous plasticity involving brain cell growth and formation of interconnections between cells to create functional brain circuits. This exceptionally complex process is highly susceptible to errors that may give rise to common and devastating neurological disorders, including Autism, Schizophrenia and Epilepsy. Therefore, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of developmental brain plasticity is essential to determining the origins of these disorders. Here, using direct imaging of brain activity and structural growth at the single-cell level within the intact and awake developing vertebrate brain, along with molecular biological techniques, we have identified a novel molecular pathway mediating developmental brain plasticity. This pathway centers on the protein MEF2, which acts as a molecular switch that sets a brain cell's response to plasticity-inducing environmental stimuli. By investigating this powerful new pathway for regulating brain cell growth we will be able to better understand how sensory stimuli directs formation of complex functional circuits and how these processes can go awry leading to dysfunctional networks underlying developmental brain disorders.