Our lab is interested in the mechanism governing nervous system assembly and disassembly. We pursue several different aspects of peripheral nervous system development including competition for survival (Science, 2008) and synapse formation/restriction (Neuron, 2010). We are now considering how antagonistic cytokine signaling governs nervous system construction and refinement. Indeed my group is actively pursuing the molecular basis for long-distance neurotrophic construction signaling (Nat. Neuro, 2014; J. Neuro, 2015). We are also pursuing how TNFR family signaling suppresses pro-growth cues to promote nervous system refinement (Neuron, 2014). In collaboration with the Güler lab, we are building non-invasive tools to better understand the signaling pathways underlying neural circuit assembly and function (Nat. Neuro, 2016). Finally, we are applying what we've learned about the development of the nervous system to nervous system pathology related to degeneration, pain, and metabolism.