The role of UBE3A in development of excitatory-inhibitory balance in neocortex

$80,000

The work in this grant extended our knowledge of brain regions that are affected when UBE3A is disrupted. Using the mouse model and studying the visual and brain cortex responses of each eye, this investigator and his laboratory were able to demonstrate how neurons in the visual cortex respond to the imprinting signals of UBE3A and adapt under different circumstances of eye closure and opening. This work, and the work of Dr. Philpot, expands our knowledge of UBE3A’s action in the brain and how neurons adjust to changing circumstances and it demonstrates how UBE3A is involved in neural plasticity, a process so important to the acquisition of learning.