Dr. Kurt Haas

In the Haas Lab we directly image neuron growth within the intact and awake embryonic brain. We image both rapid growth dynamics over seconds to minutes, and long term changes over days, to investigate mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal neuronal development.

Current Research Focus

The primary goal of Dr. Haas’s research is to understand how brain circuits form during early development and how mutations and errors give rise to dysfunctional circuits that underlie common neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Epilepsy. The distinctive feature of his research approach is the development of imaging tools that combine electrophysiology, genetics and microscope design to see brain neural network activity and growth. In addition to these tools, Dr. Haas also developed a leading model of vertebrate brain circuit formation by taking advantage of the unique development features of the albino Xenopus tadpole. He has also invented a technique for labeling individual brain neurons using single-cell electroporation and control gene expression to image 3D growth in real time using ultrafast microscopes.

Example Project

 “Molecular Mechanisms of Metaplasticity” The developing brain undergoes tremendous plasticity involving brain cell growth and formation of interconnections between cells to create functional brain circuits. This exceptionally complex process is highly susceptible to errors that may give rise to common and devastating neurological disorders, including Autism, Schizophrenia and Epilepsy. Therefore, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of developmental brain plasticity is essential to determining the origins of these disorders. Here, using direct imaging of brain activity and structural growth at the single-cell level within the intact and awake developing vertebrate brain, along with molecular biological techniques, we have identified a novel molecular pathway mediating developmental brain plasticity. This pathway centers on the protein MEF2, which acts as a molecular switch that sets a brain cell's response to plasticity-inducing environmental stimuli. By investigating this powerful new pathway for regulating brain cell growth we will be able to better understand how sensory stimuli directs formation of complex functional circuits and how these processes can go awry leading to dysfunctional networks underlying developmental brain disorders.

Research Keywords

Neuroscience, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Epilepsy, Calcium Imaging