Genetic Analysis of Neuromuscular Synaptic Structure and Function

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***Understanding how the brain works has fascinated human kind for centuries. The brain provides some of the most fascinating scientific questions that, even today, remain far from being answered, such as: How do we learn? How do we remember? The diseased brain remains equally puzzling and some of the most troubling afflictions – neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, as well as mental health disorders such as schizophrenia and depression - arise when normal brain function is disrupted.***Neurons are the cells of the nervous system that sense, process and communicate information. They are the cells that respond to pain and they activate muscles to move away from pain. They are the cells that participate in circuits that encode our memories and allow us to learn. Thus, if we are ultimately to understand brain function, it is critically important that we understand how the individual cells within the brain work and what happens to them when they are diseased. This basic approach will lead to a fundamental understanding of brain function and will identify therapeutic approaches to the diseased brain.***One of the most important tasks that neurons perform is to regulate their function in the face of diverse challenges. These challenges include their own growth, environmental challenges, and disease states. Neurons must respond in a way that preserves their function within a defined physiological range. Individual nerve cells should neither be excessively active nor should they be abnormally inactive. This balance must be preserved to maintain the robust function of neural circuits throughout life. The long-term goal of my research program is to therefore understand the mechanisms that contribute to establishing and maintaining synaptic function. We pay particular attention to the relationship between synaptic structure and physiology and the way in which development and function are inter-related. ***To address such issues my research team combines the classical and molecular genetics of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, with developmental analysis and measurements of physiology. Our basic approach is to use genetics to perturb genes in a systematic way and then determine how the nerve cells respond to understand their basic function. In doing so we generate new knowledge that advances our understanding of the neural control of behaviour and will help is to predict what happens when the brain is not healthy.********