The goal of this research will be to analyze the factors underlying the initial formation and maturation of striatal compartments in early development and the constraints underlying rearrangement of these striatal compartments in the early postnatal period. Dr. Graybiel will first continue to observe normal striatal development with (3H)thymidine and histochemical markers for synapse-related antigens, neurotransmitter-related molecules, glia, and extracellular matrix. She will then carry out manipulations in vivo (Tract tracing, lesions, grafting) and establish cultures of striatal cells in vitro in order to learn about the cellular mechanisms underlying compartmentalization in the caudoputamen. These experiments are designed to address major developmental issues concerning the origins and maintenance of pattern formation in the mammalian brain and the roles played by neurogenesis and cues for cell migration, synaptogenesis and neurotransmitter expression in establishing pattern.
