How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understandi ....How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understanding the dynamics of developmental systems that shape complex brain traits includes establishing new developmental paradigms in evolutionary theory, generating new tools to investigate and manipulate brain gene expression in vivo, and the potential discovery of the causes of neurodevelopmental dysfunction.Read moreRead less
The role of gene isoforms in human brain development. This project aims to investigate how genes vary their products to control human brain development, by creating new methods to study gene activity in individual brain cells. Using these innovative methods, this project expects to generate fundamental new knowledge of how the human brain forms. Expected outcomes of this project include widely applicable techniques, strengthened international (UK) research collaborations and highly trained perso ....The role of gene isoforms in human brain development. This project aims to investigate how genes vary their products to control human brain development, by creating new methods to study gene activity in individual brain cells. Using these innovative methods, this project expects to generate fundamental new knowledge of how the human brain forms. Expected outcomes of this project include widely applicable techniques, strengthened international (UK) research collaborations and highly trained personnel in genomics and neuroscience. This should deliver many benefits, including a better understanding of how the brain forms, training of higher degree by research students, as well as tools and methods of benefit to the academic research and biotechnology sectors.Read moreRead less