Investigator, Full Prof (M) Psych Research Programs MGPO, Mass General Research Institute

Professor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School

Associate Member Broad Institute

Principal Faculty Harvard Stem Cell Institute

James and Audrey Foster MGH Research Scholar 2019-2024 Mass General Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital

alzheimer's disease; brain aging; cognitive decline; dentate gyrus; dentate gyrus circuit; emotion; hippocampal memory processing; hippocampus; neural circuits; neural stem cells; neurogenesis; post-traumatic stress disorder; social memory disorders The incidence and complexity of mental illnesses and cognitive impairments associated with ageing and Alzheimer’s disease underscores the need to develop novel treatments. Our mission is to generate fundamental insights into the contributions of circuit- and plasticity mechanisms in the dentate gyrus (DG)-CA3 circuit  in hippocampal memory processing and modulation of mood. By integrating cellular, circuit, systems and behavioral interrogation of DG-CA3 functions and adult hippocampal neurogenesis, we aspire to rejuvenate and re-engineer hippocampal circuitry to optimize circuit performance and memory processing. We predict that this will edify strategies to treat PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, social memory disorders and age-related cognitive decline.