Helen Vuong, PhD

Our lab is interested in dissecting the role of the microbiome in the development of neural circuits and behaviors in health and neurodevelopmental disorders. We will use interdisciplinary approaches to identify and characterize the mechanisms of interaction between microbes and host neural cells. We will use a longitudinal approach to track and investigate direct and long-term effects of microbially-derived molecules on brain development in utero and early postnatal life, and adult neural circuits. We aim to leverage the microbiome for diagnoses and therapeutic potential in neurodevelopmental disorders.