Plasticity and degeneration in the Brain.
Our lab has found that specific circuits form in the mature brain and are required for cooperative behavior. These circuits grow in response to social signals and only during a 24hr critical period. We are currently investigating the molecular and cellular triggers that induce these new circuits to form. If we can determine how a circuit in a mature brain can be 're-mobilized' to determine a novel behavior in an animal, we will likely shed light now how a human brain might repair itself.
