Renata Batista-Brito, PhD

Position:
Assistant Professor Department of Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine Rose F. Kennedy Center

Phone:
203.767.8773

Education and Training:

2017: Postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Jessica A. Cardin, Department of Neuroscience, Yale University.
2011: Ph.D. in Developmental Biology Program at NYU School of Medicine, USA; Graduate Gulbenkian program on Biomedicine, Portugal
2003: M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Paris VII University, Paris; France and Porto University, Porto, Portugal
2001: B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Porto University, Porto, Portugal

Current or Past Study:
Accurate perception depends on the adaptive function of brain areas comprised of many types of cells and synaptic connections that develop over a long period. Our lab combines cell-type specific manipulation of neuronal activity, in vivo electrophysiology, in vivo 2-photon imaging, and behavioral analysis in order to understand how the postnatal developmental of inhibition shapes sensory representation in the mature brain, and how this process is altered in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Our working hypotheses are: a) Postnatal changes in the connectivity and activity patterns of interneurons instruct how sensory information is processed in the mature brain; b) Developmental dysfunction of inhibitory neurons impairs cortical circuits and is a key mechanism for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Addressing these questions will identify key developmental processes, elucidate fundamental mechanisms by which sensory information guides behavior, and potentially provide new biomarkers for neuropsychiatric diseases.