Located at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Feng laboratory focuses on the development of synapses and circuitry and their disruption in brain disorders. Using molecular genetics combined with behavioral and electrophysiological methods, the lab seeks to understand how disruptions in these components can contribute to psychiatric disorders. We hope that understanding the molecular, cellular, and circuitry underpinnings of behaviors and psychiatric disorders will eventually lead to the development of novel, effective treatments.

Many neuroscientists now look to the synapse for principles of learning and memory, for processes underlying behavior, and for pathological mechanisms of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. The Feng lab’s long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms regulating the development and function of synapses and to probe the roles of synaptic and circuitry dysfunction in certain abnormal behaviors and their relevance to psychiatric disorders. We ultimately hope to find insights for translating genetic findings into neurobiological mechanisms and biomarkers and eventually find novel effective treatment avenues.