Interests

‘Spontaneously’ emerging patterned neuronal activity without sensory input is a widely observed phenomenon in developing vertebrate nervous systems. Since the first discovery of spontaneous waves of activity in the developing mammalian retina, multiple instances of this activity have been demonstrated to have important roles for the refinement of neuronal architecture. However, it remains unclear whether this feature of vertebrate neurodevelopment is evolutionarily conserved in invertebrates.I am working on the project to determine the role of spontaneous activity in developing nervous system in Drosophila.