Glia. Circuits. Behavior.
Discovering how glial cells build, regulate, and reshape the neural circuits underlying behavior.
Questions we’re asking
How are the neural circuits
for social behavior built?
Our lab studies how microglia shape social behavior circuitry by deciding which cells survive, which connections persist, and how early developmental events can influence social behavior across the lifespan.
How do astrocytes regulate
neural circuit function?
Our lab studies how astrocytes interact with synapses to shape neuron activity and plasticity to understand how disruptions of these interactions can alter behavior and contribute to brain dysfunction.
How does experience
reshape neural circuitry?
Our lab studies how early life experience, such as stress, alters the interactions between microglia and astrocytes in reward circuits, and how these cellular changes influence motivation, reward sensitivity, and vulnerability to addiction.