Welcome to the Brain Development and Disorders Lab

Our lab is striving to understand how brain circuits are formed during development and how these circuits mediate behavior. Our studies focus on the development and function of interhemispheric connections of the mammalian brain, and we study animals and people with altered brain wiring.


Projects

Activity-dependent mechanisms of early brain wiring

Activity-dependent mechanisms of early brain wiring

We want to understand how the brain first switches on activity in ensembles of circuits, and how early pattered activity might mediate the formation of mature brain circuits related to brain function.

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Cellular and molecular mechanisms of early brain wiring

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of early brain wiring

We are studying a family of transcription factors, nuclear factor one (Nfi), which play critical roles in early brain development.  Children with mutations in Nfi genes display a variety of developmental disorders.

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Human Corpus Callosum Disorders

Human Corpus Callosum Disorders

Corpus Callosum Disorders (CCD) profoundly affects how the brain is wired.  We work in partnership with people who have CCD to understand how this condition impacts their cognitive, social, and emotional function.

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News

Human Corpus Callosum Disorders

Lab Newsletter, Issue 4, Winter 2025

The latest edition of the lab newsletter is out! This issue includes photos from the recent NODCC24 conference in Chicago, IL, recent publications, an introduction to lab members Drs. Emran Hossen and Fujun Chen, a fun winter recipe to try, and a new story about Daisy the dunnart. Read the newsletter here.
Human Corpus Callosum Disorders

Recently Published

Recent work out of the Richards Lab identified a family with DCC mutations that exhibited a range of neuropsychological and and neuroanatomical outcomes, including mirror movements.
Human Corpus Callosum Disorders

Lab Newsletter, Issue 3, Spring 2023

The latest edition of the lab newsletter is out! This issue includes photos from the recent NODCC regional meet-up in St. Louis, recent publications, and an introduction to lab member Dr. Ryan Dean.