WALSHLAB@VCUBIOLOGY

What We Do

We are interested in how the brain is built. The function of the central nervous system depends on the precise organization of its billions of neurons and trillions of connections established during embryonic development. Information is transmitted between nerve cells and their targets through long processes named axons.  Once neurons differentiate from neural progenitor cells, they migrate considerable distances from their place of birth to their final positions where they will receive input from other neurons.  Secondly, neurons extend axons that navigate to their correct targets in response to guidance cues that provide directional information for pathfinding. Many human neurodevelopmental disorders are the result of mutations in genes that control these two processes.