Xiaofeng Zhao, Ph.D., Research Investigator (Giger Laboratory), Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School

The hippocampus (which translates to “sea horse” in Greek) is the brain’s center of learning and memory. New research suggests that defects in hippocampal development can lead to psychiatric illness. The Giger laboratory is studying hippocampal development in the mouse embryo to gain insights into how developmental defects could cause psychiatric disease. This is a mirrored image of the developing mouse brain. Blue labels the nuclei of the brain cells, green labels a subset of neurons, and magenta labels migrating neurons. The small group of neurons labeled in magenta located in the “swans’ beaks” marks the future hippocampus.

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