The Developmental Neurobiology Group studies how genetic and environmental perturbations during development alter the fates and functions of specific sets of neurons and how these alterations lead to neurological disorders. Altered noradrenergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex is implicated in a number of cognitive disorders including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression and Alzheimer�s disease. To date, much of our understanding about the subpopulation(s) of noradrenergic neurons that project to and modulate prefrontal cortical circuits comes from non-genetic tract tracing and lesioning studies. Little is known about the molecular identity of these subpopulations. Unraveling the genetic pathways that control final noradrenergic subtype identity is critical to our understanding of related developmental and neurodegenerative diseases. In order to fill this knowledge gap my lab uses genetic approaches in the mouse to determine the origins, fates, and functions of the different types of noradrenergic neurons in the mammalian brain. Importantly, this work will provide a means to visualize and genetically manipulate select populations of noradrenergic neurons in vivo and guide the rational generation of mouse models of cognitive disorders.