Neuroscience is about communities: Inside and outside the brain

Neurons of the mammalian central nervous system are thought to be generated through competing genetic programs. Yet, transcriptomic comparisons of the developing and adult cerebral cortex reveal a drastically higher diversity of neurons in the postnatal cortex than in the developing brain. This observation suggest that extrinsic cues during neuronal development and maturation could instruct the identity and wiring of postmitotic neurons, which may even undergo a period of fate plasticity and refinement. We are interested in understanding this period of fate plasticity and how neurons influence each other in a class-specific manner during circuit assembly. Ultimately, we are interesting in uncovering the molecular cues behind cortical identity generation, maintenance and evolution; circuit wiring and function; and the molecular basis of neurodevelopmental diseases. Toward this goal, we have made progress by creating in vivo neuronal reprogramming models that have allowed us to identify these periods of fate refinement, as well as the role of postsynaptic neuronal identity in the establishment of afferent circuit wiring. In addition, we have created chimeric in vitro cortical organoids that allow us to uncover the roles and evolutionary conservation of external cues in the instruction of neuronal identity.

We also understand the importance of creating true communities of scientists of all disciplines and training the next generation of investigators throughout the world. To this end, we are creating technologies to make experimental science education freely accessible to students throughout the world using the Internet of Things and Augmented Reality approaches. We are focusing on students traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, as well as regions of the world in which science education is an unattainable commodity. In our experience, science education can become an important tool in public diplomacy and understanding between nations. In an era in which nearly 1 in 6 people around the world have a neurodevelopmental disorder or neurological disease, we propose that neurodiplomacy can become an important focus of collaboration and learning between regions, and a key tool to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.