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New experiences trigger a pulse of gene expression in the brain. Why? We study the function of the genomic response with a variety of techniques: behavioral, physiological and molecular genetic. We believe the genome plays a major integrative role in the moment-to-moment function of the nervous system. |
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| Male zebra finches form a central brain connection needed for song production. Females don't – why? By studying slices of brain placed in culture, we found that the male brain makes high levels of estrogen. This estrogen appears to be the trigger for song circuit development. Now we want to know how estrogen production in the brain may be turned on and off. | |||||
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| Powerful methods of genome science are revolutionizing just about every area of biological science. We have begun a multi-institutional collaboration to bring these methods bear on the songbird model system. We will be cataloguing the genes expressed in the zebra finch brain and using microarray techniques to link specific gene expression to functional and developmental states. | |||||
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