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Charles Greer

 

Neuroscience

Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurobiology

Co-Director of Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

Education

B.A. University of Colorado 1971
Ph.D. University of Colorado 1978

Research Interests

We study mechanisms mediating the complex pathfinding and synaptogenesis of axons and dendrites during early development and how those mechanisms may degrade during aging. In the olfactory system, ~1,000 subpopulations of sensory neurons express different odor receptors. The sensory neuron axons segregate in the olfactory bulb based on odor receptor expression, producing a highly specific molecular map. Understanding the molecular basis of this segregation of axons is one of our primary goals. In parallel, we study the targeting and differentiation of dendrites to understand the mechanisms that regulate their highly specific interactions with small subsets of the sensory neuron axons. Unique to the olfactory system, ongoing adult neurogenesis generates new populations of sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium and interneurons centrally. The molecular differentiation and integration of these adult generated neurons into synaptic circuits is an ongoing interest in the lab.

Links

• Greer Homepage

 

Recent Publications

• Whitman, M.C. and Greer, C.A. (2007). Adult-generated neurons exhibit diverse developmental fates. Dev. Neurobiol. (In press).
• Akins, M.R., Benson, D.L., and Greer, C.A. (2007). Cadherin expression in the developing mouse olfactory system. J. Comp. Neurol. 501:483-97.

Contact

E-mail
charles.greer@yale.edu