THE SILLITOE LAB
all things cerebellum
The major goal of our research is to determine the biological bases under neurological disease. Precise neural circuitry is required for proper brain function. Our work has shown that circuit organization is a fundamental feature of the mammalian brain and genetic defects that disrupt the formation of organized circuits may cause behavioral deficits observed in human conditions.
To this end, we are using a combination of mouse molecular genetics, neuroanatomical tract tracing and various developmental biology approaches to investigate the developmental origins of disorders that affect circuit formation, and the consequences when those circuits are disrupted.
Moreover, we are incorporating into our studies novel in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) techniques, which will expedite our understanding of how neuronal activity and morphogenetic programs are integrated with gene networks to form functional brain circuits. Using these approaches we have found key circuit pathways that may control brain behavior in multiple disorders and we have uncovered interesting new avenues for restoring motor behavior by modulating brain function.