The leading project I have been carrying out is the biochemical and molecular characterization of rat models of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder such as GRIN2B, SCN2A, DYRK1A, ARID1B, CHD8, SynGAP, CDKL5, NLNG3, NXN1, CNTNAP2 and FMRP.
The overall aim of my research is to determine common biochemical changes (if there is any) at the level of synapses in these rat models of ID and ASD. To do so, I extract the synaptosome and PSD fractions from different brain regions at certain developmental stages of life and perform westerns, coimmunoprecipitation and other biochemical approaches. In addition, understanding the organization of supermolecular complexes at synapses, especially in postsynapses in SynGAP haploinsufficiency intrigues me most.