Argel

The Aguilar-Valles Lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms that underlie psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. They use a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, neuronal culture, and animal models to understand how genetic risk factors contribute to mental illness. Here are some of the research questions they are investigating: How genetic mutations affect brain development and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) pathophysiology; How antidepressant activation of the mTORC1 pathway contributes to major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment.