Anna Victoria Molofsky, MD, PhD

Looking beyond the neuron: neuroimmune communication, glia, and the extracellular space in brain development and function

Synaptic connections established during development determine the lifelong functional capacity of the brain.  Neuronal synapses are dysfunctional in neurodevelopmental diseases including autism and schizophrenia, but the molecular basis of these disorders is poorly understood.  The long-term goal of our research program is to understand how the  brain maintains synaptic homeostasis during development, adulthood, and aging, and how this process malfunctions in disease. Given emerging epidemiologic and genetic links between the immune system and neuropsychiatric diseases, we are particularly interested in the physiologic roles of innate immune signaling in the brain. Glial cells including astrocytes and microglia are critical in the development and refinement of synapses and express most of the brain’s immune repertoire. For example, we have demonstrated novel and molecularly distinct roles for different immune signals (cytokines and interferons) in regulating excitatory synapse formation, inhibitory synapse formation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. We continue to discover novel mechanisms of neural circuit plasticity using transgenic approaches, transcriptomics, high resolution imaging, and behavior in both mouse and zebrafish models, focusing on circuits relevant to neuropsychiatric diseases.

Lab Members
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Academic community service and committee membership:
NS admissions committee, MSTP council, SRTP host, IRACDA mentor, have undergone Mentorship training workshops