LSI Seminar Series: Building our brains — From development to evolution
Building our brains —From development to evolution
The cerebral cortex controls our higher cognitive capacities and helps define us as humans. Cortical development is orchestrated by neural progenitors, which give rise to neurons and glia. Aberrant cortical development can result in devastating neurodevelopmental diseases. The Silver lab aims to elucidate genetic and cellular mechanisms controlling cortical development and contributing to neurodevelopmental pathologies and brain evolution. This talk will highlight the group's recent discoveries regarding how spatial and temporal control of RNA impacts neural progenitor morphology and corticogenesis, as well as how human-specific features impact development.
Speaker
Debra Silver is a Professor of Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine. Her lab investigates cell biological and genetic mechanisms governing embryonic cerebral cortex development and contributing to neurodevelopmental pathologies and evolution. Her lab uses fixed and live imaging, diverse omics approaches, cortical organoids, and mouse genetics.