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Welcome to the  LEE Lab

Research Summary

    Each neuron in the brain makes thousands of synaptic contacts, but it is a formidable challenge to decode the spatial and temporal dynamics of synaptic communication. Understanding how a synapse mediates information flow is an essential step in the dissection of complex brain functions. The long-term goal of our research is to delineate molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neuronal communication in the central nervous system. In particular, we have been working to elucidate the functional roles of genes and signaling pathways regulating neurotransmitter release at the synaptic terminal. Since the synapse is a functional building block of the brain, defects in, or loss of, certain synaptic signaling consequently underlies neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, we have expanded our research program into the study of neurological disorders caused by the disruption of synaptic communication. A current project is to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease... [More]