The Jin lab studies neurodevelopment using the nematode C. elegans.
The complexity of synaptic connections in a nervous system is astronomic. A human brain contains at least 100 billion neuronal cells, and each cell can make more than 1,000 synaptic connections. Many neuronal connections are established early during embryogenesis and maintained precisely throughout the life time of an animal to ensure the integrity of neural circuitry. However, in response to environmental and developmental changes, these existing synaptic connections can remodel extensively. For example, it is now known that learning and memory involve both strengthening of the existing synaptic connections and formation of new synaptic connections. The simplicity and accessibility of the C. elegans nervous system allow analyses to be performed at single-cell resolution in living animals.
Our lab is addressing the following questions:
- How are neurons that possess specific properties generated?
- How are neurons guided to their targets?
- How do neurons form synapses?
- How do the synaptic connections remodel?