Skip to main content

Yuh Nung Jan wants to understand the basic mechanisms that control diversity of neuronal morphology, dendrite development, and neuronal circuitry formation. Jan and his team seek to discover the genetic program that controls the development and function of the peripheral nervous system in Drosophila. Current areas of investigation include the mechanisms controlling dendrite development, sensory physiology (especially mechanosensation), degeneration and regeneration of dendrites and axons, and the circuitry underlying fly behavior. The team is also extending their findings to mammalian cortical neurons. This work has potential implications in neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.