Four interconnected research programs exploring neural circuit construction, balance, plasticity, and vulnerability in the developing brain.
Our lab focuses on the regulation of central nervous circuit construction and behavioral output. We combine molecular, cellular, and systems-level approaches — exploiting the unique optical and genetic accessibility of the Xenopus laevis tadpole to connect gene expression events to circuit architecture and animal behavior.
We study the molecular logic governing radial glial cell proliferation and the differentiation of neurons destined for specific positions within visual circuits. A central interest is how histone deacetylases and Wnt signaling encode cell fate decisions in response to sensory experience.
The dynamic balance between glutamatergic excitation and GABAergic inhibition governs every aspect of circuit function. Its disruption is a common thread in autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. We dissect the molecular machinery of E/I homeostasis and its behavioral consequences.
Visual experience drives profound structural and functional remodeling during the critical period. We investigate how activity is translated into lasting changes in synaptic strength through epigenetic regulation, receptor trafficking, and local protein synthesis — and how homeostatic mechanisms preserve circuit stability.
Environmental pollutants disrupt developing nervous systems. We use Xenopus as a high-throughput in vivo platform to characterize how industrial chemicals such as para-xylene impair neural development, and to identify small molecules that restore neuronal health.
Whole-cell patch-clamp and field recordings in intact Xenopus tadpoles to measure synaptic currents, E/I ratios, and circuit activity in the optic tectum in real time.
Live imaging of fluorescently labeled neurons over days in the same animal, tracking dendritic arbor dynamics, axonal branching, and synapse formation.
In vivo electroporation, morpholino knockdown, and CRISPR/Cas9 for precise gain- and loss-of-function studies in the intact developing brain.
scRNA-seq to characterize cell type diversity and transcriptional states, enabling whole-brain cell atlas construction across Xenopus development.
Mass spectrometry-based nascent proteomics, co-IP, and western blotting to identify molecular players in visual experience-dependent plasticity.
Quantitative visual avoidance, optomotor response, and phototaxis assays linking molecular and circuit changes to meaningful behavioral readouts.