Our research combines approaches covering genetics, molecular biology, viral injections with mouse brain surgeries, synaptic morphology analysis via immunocytochemistry, synaptic function analysis with whole-cell patch clamp recording, and animal behavioral tests to elucidate the functional organization of synapse development. Our goal is to achieve a mechanistic understanding of fundamental cognitive processes whose dysfunctions are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. We approach these questions from molecular, developmental, physiological and behavioral perspectives, employing all necessary techniques to create a comprehensive analysis of the organization and regulation of behavioral output and its disruption in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease.