Georgia Panagiotakos
Question
In less than 200 words, what main research questions are you working on? Please make sure to first include a brief context and background to your research, articulate your question(s) and conclude with why you think it’s important to study the them (i.e., the potential broader impacts).
Response
In the normal developing brain, new neurons are generated from the division of less specialized cells called neural stem cells. Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are born and integrated into the developing brain, involves a series of precisely timed events. Faithful progression of each of these events is essential both for making neurons of the correct type in the appropriate place and time, and for ensuring that new neurons properly connect to one another to form brain circuits that control behavior. When any of these cellular events go awry, the consequences on brain function can manifest as developmental disorders like intellectual disability and autism. My lab’s specific area of interest is understanding how neural stem cells integrate signals from their environment to generate specific types of neurons in the developing brain and how this process is disrupted in developmental disorders. Explore the Panagiotakos Lab