The size of the brain matters for its functional capability. Having an abnormally small brain, referred to as microcephaly, may lead to mental impairments and motor disabilities. An abnormally small brain may result from insufficient numbers of neurons produced during fetal brain development, often caused by the inadequate expansion of neural progenitor cells. Currently, our knowledge about the mechanistic causes of microcephaly is far from complete, leaving a large proportion of microcephaly patients without a genetic diagnosis. This project will investigate important metabolic pathways and their link with epigenetics. We will study how the metabolic-epigenetic interplay regulates gene expression during neural progenitor cell expansion. Finally, we aim to identify novel causative metabolic genes of microcephaly. This project will provide new insights into the causes of microcephaly.

2022

2025