Personal profile

- BSc Neuroscience, University College London
- MSc Neuroscience, University College London
- Modelling Biological Complexity MRes Dropout, University College London
Research
Cortical progenitors give rise to mature neurons at the cortex. Throughout development progenitor cells proliferate and differentiate by expressing specific genes. The two main types of neuron at the cortex are principal cells (PCs) and interneurons (INs). PCs release excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate while INs release inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. The Emx1-Cre; Pax6-/- transgenic mouse line has transcription factor Pax6 deleted spatio-temporally so that PC progenitors of cortical origin do not express Pax6 early in development. An ectopic population of cells (ectopia) under the cortex that express GABAergic markers but are from cortical-born progenitor pool lineage develops in these mice.

The aim of my project is to better understand the role of Pax6 in cortical cell specification. This will be done by assessing the phenotype of cells at the ectopia and neurons at the cortex of Emx1-CreT; Pax6-/- mice. The main techniques I use are electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry and cell culture.