Genes code for protein molecules via an intermediate stage known as messenger RNA. In this research line we quantify levels of messenger RNA from thousands of genes simultaneously within post-mortem tissue samples from the adult cerebral cortex. The tissue samples are chosen with respect to functional brain imaging maps that are obtained from other datasets. This approach can reveal patterns of gene activity which support the functions of cerebral cortical regions especially important for language. We are exploring high-resolution techniques that can map gene expression to specific layers of the cortex or individual cells. The genes identified are tested for their relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders that involve impaired language cognition.
Example publications:
Wong, Sha et al. The neocortical infrastructure for language involves region-specific patterns of laminar gene expression. PNAS 2024
Kong et al. Gene Expression Correlates of the Cortical Network Underlying Sentence Processing. Neurobiology of Language 2020.
Figure: Regions of cerebral cortex that are especially important for language functions.
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