Mingshan Xue Lab

In the mammalian brain, synaptic connections organize the vast number of neurons into intricate neural circuits that give rise to the senses, cognition, and actions. To understand how the brain performs its remarkable functions, it is essential to discover how the synapses orchestrate the spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal activities. Furthermore, synaptic dysfunction is being increasingly recognized as a critical underlying etiology of many neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and autism. Thus, the long-term research goal of the laboratory is to elucidate the synaptic mechanisms of neural circuits, understand the circuit dysfunctions in neurodevelopmental disorders, and harness this knowledge to explore new therapeutic strategies for these disorders.