Developmental projects include investigation of the molecular basis for interneuron migration, attractive and repulsive mechanisms that control axon guidance in the forebrain and gene cascades that mediate ventral versus dorsal telencephalic patterning. An additional major project focuses on the long term neurotransmitter signaling defects in cortex and striatum that occur following prenatal cocaine exposure in an animal model. All projects utilize modern molecular genetic and cellular approaches, including production and analysis of knockout and transgenic mice, gene microarrays, in vitro and in utero perturbation of cell signaling. Please contact Dr. Pat Levitt, Chair, Dept. Emphasis is placed both on defining the pathophysiology of the illness.
Ongoing studies involve a range of molecular and neuroanatomical techniques.
These projects are part of a multi-disciplinary Center focused on the neurobiological basis for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Fellows will work in a highly interactive community of neuroscientists from several departments at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. W1650 BST, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Particular emphasis is placed on early postnatal and adolescence-related maturational processes and the role that these events play in the emergence and refinement of cognitive and social behavior. Projects involve a range of neuroanatomical and molecular techniques.