Research at the Page Lab
How does the cellular architecture of the brain assemble during development and give rise to thought and behavior? And, how is this process disrupted in disorders of cognition and behavior?
Our research addresses these questions by making use of Drosophila and mouse to investigate mechanisms of brain growth, connectivity, and behavior. We aim to understand how these processes are influenced by genes and pathways implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders such as: autism (HOXA1/labial, Page 2000; EGF/Egf, Page 2003; PTEN/Pten, Page et al 2009; SLC6A4/Slc6a4, Page et al 2009), holoprosencephaly (SHH/hh, Page 2002), schizophrenia (EGF/Egf, Page 2003) and Down syndrome (SIM2/sim, Page 2003). We also have an interest in the interface between immune cells, apoptosis and central nervous system morphogenesis (Olofsson and Page 2005; Page and Olofsson 2008).
A particular focus of our research is autism, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder that features abnormalities in social behavior and communication, amongst other deficits. Our current best understanding is that autism generally results from the interaction of multiple genes and environmental factors, each of which confers risk. We use the mouse as a model system to investigate how these risk factors interact with one another to influence the development of brain and behavior. Our aims are to apply insights gained from this work to help individuals and families affected by autism, and to advance our understanding of brain growth and social behavior. Among the techniques we use are those of molecular biology, cell biology, genomics, bioinformatics, systems biology, histology, pharmacology, imaging and behavioral phenotyping.
If you have comments or questions about my research, please feel free to contact me.