Developmental Neuroscience laboratories at UConn Health seek to reveal how multi-potential progenitor cells differentiate into neurons and glia; how these cells migrate and interact with each other to form specific nervous tissue structures; how they influence each other's fates; and how neuronal activity modulates their function. Our research interests include the mechanisms of neocortical cellular and synaptic development; stem cell biology; molecular mechanisms of oligodendrocytes and myelin development; and developmental interactions of microglia with oligodendrocytes and neurons. Sophisticated transgenic, biochemical, and cellular methods provide complementary models and a theoretical framework for exploring the genetic and cellular bases of neuronal and glial differentiation and connection formation and identifying critical timelines involved in these processes. Analyzing the sequence of events leading to the mature, carefully positioned neurons and glia offer exciting opportunities for furthering our understanding of the development of the nervous system, complementing the research on the mechanisms of developmental disorders.

Faculty: Bae, Crocker, Levine, Martinelli, Mohan