Sharon Kolk | Radboud University

Proper functioning of regions of the brain requires that selective subsets of cells communicate effectively with each other, allowing them to transduce information in a meaningful way. My research focusses on how cells of our developing brain communicate with each other in order to establish a specialized area dedicated to a specific function. Specific communication strategies may be dictated by intrinsic factors, such as regulators of particular genes, or extrinsic influences, such as experience-based changes in cell-cell communication. My overall aim is to elucidate the molecular basis of developing brain areas, specifically those involved in neurodevelopmental disorders such as the prefrontal cortex. We address these questions using various human and animal models (in utero electroporation, explant assays, brain organoids/assembloids).