The overarching research goal of my lab is to elucidate the molecular signaling pathways involved in brain disorders and how such molecular pathways have evolved on the human lineage. We are approaching this challenge using next-generation sequencing on stem cell-derived models of primates and patient-derived post-mortem brain tissues.

We are particularly interested in oligodendrocytes evolution, development, and how they are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. We have previously revealed that oligodendrocytes have undergone an increased acceleration on human lineage compared with neurons and oligodendrocyte human specific genes are enriched for variants associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, oligodendrocytes showed differences between healthy and schizophrenia post-mortem brain tissue. Overall, these findings underscored the importance of oligodendrocytes in human brain evolution and disease. We will take advantage of stem cell-derived models of primates and post-mortem white matter brain tissue coupled with single cell multiomic approaches to further answer questions on oligodendrocytes evolution and development.

In addition to the evo-devo projects, we are interested in the imaging genomic field. Combining the techniques of gene expression profiling and advanced signal processing of brain oscillations recorded during mnemonic tasks and fMRI in resting state is an innovative way to link brain activity with molecular mechanisms. In our lab we will integrate brain activity values with gene expression from multiple next-generation data from healthy and disease individuals. With this cross disciplinary and innovative plan, we aim to uncover novel gene signatures that may be important for brain pathophysiology. We will use computational methods and single cell atlases to further refine what molecular mechanisms supporting brain activity.