Prof. Dr. Esther Stöckli

Area of Research

Description of Research Interest

Our research addresses molecular mechanisms of neural circuit formation in health and disease. A special focus is on axon guidance. We use vertebrate animal models to characterize regulatory mechanisms underlying the dynamic changes of surface receptors that explain the navigation behavior and connectivity of axons with their target cells. These studies allow us to identify and characterize the contribution of candidate genes to neural circuit formation. Candidate genes are selected either from animal studies or from candidate disease genes identified in human patients. Examples of genes we work with are SynCAM1/CADM1 linked to autism spectrum disorders, RabGDI and C5ORF42 linked to intellectual disability, or Med13L linked to congenital heart disease and intellectual disability.

Key words: neural development, neural circuit formation, morphogens, RNAi

Special Expertise

Neural development
Axon guidance
Cell migration
Neural circuit formation

Shareable Platforms, Services, Equipment & Infrastructure

in vivo analysis of gene function during neural development