Anita Bhattacharyya
Credentials: PhD
Position title: Assistant Professor
Email: bhattacharyy@waisman.wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 265-6142
Address:
623 Waisman Center
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison WI 53705
Focus Groups
Neuroscience/Neuropathology
Education
PhD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Research Summary
Modeling altered development of the cerebral cortex in neurodevelopmental disorders with human stem cells.
Research Detail
My research examines how the development of the cerebral cortex is altered in developmental disorders characterized by intellectual impairment. The cerebral cortex is the most complex area of the brain and is responsible for functions unique to humans, such as language and abstract thought. Problems in any of the crucial steps in the formation of the cerebral cortex prenatally can lead to cognitive impairment at birth. Research in my lab is focused on two genetic developmental disorders, Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome (Trisomy 21), while Fragile X syndrome is due to a single gene mutation (fmr1 gene). I am using human pluripotent stem cells that carry either trisomy 21 or the fmr1 mutation to study the development of the cerebral cortex in vitro. These stem cells have intrinsic characteristics that can be investigated in culture to further our understanding and treatment of developmental disorders. By defining the mistakes in neurodevelopment that lead to intellectual impairment, we may be able to target therapeutics for these developmental disorders.