Overview
The brain controls behaviour in an extremely complex manner, involving various processes at molecular, cellular, circuit, and network levels. In our lab, we use a multi-level, integrative research strategy to study how gene mutations associated with psychiatric disorders affect each of these neurobiological levels, and their contributions to disrupted social behaviour. In particular, we focus on the following questions using genetic models of autism spectrum disorders (ASD):
1. What are the potential mechanisms by which ASD gene mutations impair oxytocin signaling in the brain, and how are they linked to the social symptoms of ASD?
2. 100s of genes have been identified to be associated with ASD. On which neurobiological pathways do these genes converge, and how are they connected to behaviour?
