Brain function is supported by a wide variety of non-neuronal cells, which also actively participate in the formation and maintenance of synaptic circuits.

Dysfunction in these non-neuronal cells, especially astrocytes and microglia, has also been strongly implicated in many disease processes, including psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative disorders

We are developing human stem cell-based models to co-culture neurons, astrocytes, and eventually microglia to understand in a reduced system how exactly these neuron-glia interactions support synaptic maturation. Likewise, we are studying how loss of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder risk genes alters neuron-glia interactions in ways that may give rise to disease.