Our group is particularly interested in two questions: How is genetic information translated into neural circuits and behavior? How are these processes affected in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders? We use an integrative approach combining genetics, molecular biology, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, optogenetic fMRI, pharmacological and behavioral studies to address these questions.
Our research concerns how neural circuits, once established, control various aspects of our behavior and how their malfunction results in behavioral alterations that are hallmarks of autism. Understanding the development and organization of neural circuits, the ways they mediate behaviour, and identifying the causal changes that lead to behavioural aberrations is crucial for developing a new generation of therapeutics and traversing the “bench-to-bedside” divide.