Professor of Physiology Cellular & Molecular Physiology,
Neuroscience eric.frank@tufts.edu
Research in my laboratory is directed
towards an understanding of how neurons make appropriate synaptic
connections with each other in the central nervous system. Focusing
primarily on the development of the monosynaptic stretch reflex,
we use molecular approaches to identify proteins involved in
the guidance of sensory axons to their correct synaptic partners
within the spinal cord and in the formation of functional synapses
with them. By making electrical recordings from spinal motor
neurons in transgenic and knock-out mice, we test the role of
known transcription factors and cell adhesion molecules in specifying
the precise pattern of synaptic connections between sensory
and motor neurons. A knowledge of the mechanisms involved in
the formation of spinal pathways during normal development should
provide valuable insights in devising strategies for the reconstruction
of these pathways after spinal injury.
