Developmental Neurobiology Program
Overview
This program supports fundamental research on the mechanisms of nervous system development, with emphasis on cortical and subcortical circuitry that is affected in mood, emotion, cognition, and in mental illness. This program is founded upon substantial evidence that subtle alterations in neural circuitry during critical periods in brain development underlie the etiologies of several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, a lack of clear pathophysiology and the probable involvement of multigenic and environmental influences in the etiology of psychiatric disorders make the study of these diseases less tractable than that of other neurological (such as neurodegenerative) disorders. To address this issue, the program portfolio includes studies of fundamental mechanisms underlying the establishment of functional circuitry in the developing CNS. Research supported by this program encompasses studies at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels, either in vitro preparations, model organisms, or humans.
Areas of Emphasis
- Elucidating neural changes associated with critical periods of brain development (prenatal, early postnatal, adolescent), which, if altered, may result in neuropsychiatric disease.
- Identifying spatiotemporal networks of protein expression and function underlying development of neural circuitry important for cognition, emotion, and behavior.
- Characterizing hippocampal development, including neurogenesis, in relation to neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Establishing improved models of developmental responses to therapeutic agents.
Contact
David M. Panchision, Ph.D.
Program Chief
panchisiond@mail.nih.gov
301-443-5288, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7186, MSC 9641
