Sensory integration and cognitive inflexibility in rat models of neurodevelopmental disorders. We are using the rodent head direction (HD) system to investigate sensory integration in genetic rat models of neurodevelopmental disorders. HD cells code an animal’s current head direction, which is updated over time on the basis of both self-motion information (including vestibular signals) and external sensory information (such as visual landmarks in the environment). Our initial studies in the Fmr1^-/y rat model of Fragile X Syndrome indicate altered integration of visual and self-motion information compared to WT rats. Ongoing experiments in the Wood lab are investigating the developmental trajectory of HD coding and multisensory integration in the Fmr1^-/y rat model, and exploring whether there are developmental time windows during which restoration of gene function can prevent or reverse the emergence of circuit alterations.

Synaptic plasticity, neural circuits and behaviour in GRIN-related neurodevelopmental disorders. Heterozygous mutations in GRIN2 genes, which code for the GluN2 subunits of the NMDA receptor, are associated with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy. In this collaborative SIDB project we are using a combination of ex vivo slice electrophysiology, high density in vivo recordings from awake behaving rats, and cognitive tasks, to understand how haploinsufficiency of specific GluN2 subunits affects neuronal and circuit function, plasticity and memory.

Development of episodic memory in health and disease. Using rat models to understanding the neural circuitry that supports episodic memory, how it changes during postnatal development, and how it is altered in neurodevelopmental conditions.