Developmental Neuroscience

Developmental Neuroscience includes the study of the proliferation and differentiation of neurons and the organization of those cells into an integrated functioning nervous system. This includes the study of how major anatomical subdivisions of the nervous system are generated from an unspecified neuroepithelium. For example, by knocking out the hoxa-1 gene in mice it was found that a segment of the hindbrain is absent in the mutant animals. Once the cells of the nervous system have been generated they must choose s fate. Researchers at Utah have discovered that some of the molecules which function in the differentiation of the vertebrate retina can function interchangeably with their Drosophila homologs which determine the fate of cells in the rather different compound eye of insects. Once cell fate has been determined, the nervous system wires itself by sending axons to their target neurons. Research teams at Utah are identifying the key molecules in axonal guidance required by pioneer axons as well as the molecules permitting growth cones to follow nerve fascicles. Finally, a nervous system must select appropriate synapses and eliminate inappropriate connections in order to become a fully functional circuit. Such mechanisms are clearly illustrated in studies of how activity-dependent mechanisms reinforce the proper connectivity in the auditory and visual system.

Faculty doing developmental research and their departmental affiliation are:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	Name	Department	Research Interest
A-C
	Michael Bastiani	Biology	Development of neuronal connections
	Josh Bonkowsky	Pediatrics	Axon pathfinding and development of basal ganglia; function of language genes in CNS development
	Mario R. Capecchi	Biology and Human Genetics	Gene manipulation in mammalian and other eukaryotic cells
	Maureen L. Condic	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Interactions of sensory neurons with extracellular matrix
D-J
	Richard Dorsky	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Signaling pathways in zebrafish neural cell fate determination
	Sabine Fuhrmann	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Regulation of ocular development
	Christopher Gregg	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Early life programming of molecular pathways and neural circuits related to feeding and foraging behaviors
	David J. Grunwald	Human Genetics	Tissue specification during zebrafish embryogenesis
K-P
	Janet E. Lainhart	Psychiatry	Neurobiology of autism
	Anthea Letsou	Human Genetics	Embryonic Development Neurobiology
	Edward Levine	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Mechanisms of mammalian retinal development
	Suzanne Mansour	Human Genetics	FGF signaling and ear development
	Shannon J. Odelberg	Internal Medicine	Molecular basis of regeneration and cellular plasticity
Q-Z
	Yukio Saijoh	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Pattern formation of vertebrates
	Frederick G. Strathmann	Pathology	Understanding how glia at all stages of differentiation influence their environment during development, disease and repair of the central nervous system. Clinical focus is in trace and toxic element analysis, chronic pain and drugs of abuse
	Ning Tian	Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Development of retinal synaptic circuitry
	Monica Vetter	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Molecular pathways regulating the genesis and degeneration of neurons in the vertebrate nervous system
	Megan E. Williams	Neurobiology & Anatomy	Molecular mechanisms that regulate synapse formation and specificity of neural circuits
	Deborah Yurgelun-Todd	Psychiatry	Application of MR imaging methods to understand emotional processing and cognitive changes associated with behavioral disorders
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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