Development and evolution of human cerebral cortex
Nenad Sestan's research group investigates the molecular and cellular basis of how neural circuits form within the developing cerebral cortex, the outside part of the mammalian brain that processes our senses, commands, and motor activity, helping to perform higher-order cognitive functions like language. They also study how neural circuits were modified during human evolution and may become compromised in neuropsychiatric disorders. An important element of Sestan's research is the integration of complementary approaches that combine: 1) analyses of evolutionarily conserved mechanisms using the genetically tractable mouse model; 2) functional, genomic, and cellular analyses of humans and non-human primates to identify human-specific features of brain development and organization; 3) genetic and molecular analyses of human neuropsychiatric disorders, such autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and schizophrenia.
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Biography
Sestan is the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Comparative Medicine, of Genetics, and of Psychiatry, and Executive Director of the Genome Editing Center.
