Specialization
synapse biology, neurotransmitter release, presynaptic plasticity, brain disorders, cellular models
Focus of research
My interest in brain function has led me to specialize on the synapse, the coding unit of the brain. I am fascinated by the intricate molecular machinery that synapses use to tightly control the release of neurotransmitter. Modulation of this machinery results in presynaptic plasticity processes that underlie information processing in the brain. Since realizing that genes I studied out of fundamental interest underly several neuro-developmental and -degenerative disorders, I strive to bridge the fields of synapse biology and clinical genetics by studying fundamental principles and disease mechanisms involving neurotransmitter release.