HOW DO CARBOHYDRATES INSTRUCT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT?

The mammalian brain is arguably the most complex biological organ ever to have evolved. The correct formation of the billions of connections between nerve cells ultimately required for brain function relies on the precise growth of nerve fibers. This process is regulated by genes during embryonic development when cells divide, differentiate and communicate with one another to self-assemble a brain.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/integrative-physiology/staff-profiles/research-groups/tom-pratt

• Understanding how heparan sulphate, a complex sulphated sugar polymer, regulates intercellular communication involved in cell division, fate, and axon guidance.
• Using the mouse forebrain as a model system employing transgenic methods.
• Studying the development of the corpus callosum and the optic pathway.

This research addresses the fundamental biology of how complex molecular and cellular environments emerge and function in the brain. It will have applications in the development of strategies to understand and repair brains damaged by disease or wounding.