Zipursky Research Lab
Building Brains: From Genes to Circuits
The human brain contains 100 billion neurons belonging to thousands of different neuron-types. These neurons are linked into vast networks of circuits with each neuron forming highly specific synaptic connections to other neurons. Our lab is interested in understanding how the specificity of the connections between neurons is achieved. We use a wide array of genetic, genomic and molecular biology approaches in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to understand how genetically hardwired mechanisms control wiring and in the mouse cortex to decipher the role of postnatal experience in this process.