Investigator, Asst Prof (M) Lurie Center for Autism, Mass General Research Institute

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School

autism spectrum disorder; microglia; mitochondria; neurodevelopment; neuroimmune interactions

Our lab studies neuro-immune interactions and neuroimmunometabolism in brain development, with a focus on understanding the establishment of sex differences in neural function. We are interested in how sex hormones and mitochondrial inheritance shape the development of circuits in the brain. We hope to understand how these processes influence social behavior and communication.

 

We have found the perinatal immune activation induces male-specific alterations in social behavior and function of microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain. We have also found that manipulating sex hormones impacts the behavior of microglia and their mitochondria, organelles important not only as the primary energy producer of the cell, but as a key hub in cellular signaling. Our research program combines genetics, anatomy, imaging, proteomics, and behavior in mice as well as imaging and histological studies in human populations.