Renata Batista-Brito, Ph.D

Assistant Professor, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience
Assistant Professor, Genetics

(neuroscience category)

Cortical development. Inhibitory circuits.  Visual processing. Neurodevelopmental disorders.

Accurate perception depends on the adaptive function of brain areas comprised of many types of cells and synaptic connections that develop over a long period. During development, neural networks grow from a state of zero connectivity to the precisely interconnected circuits characteristic of the adult brain. The activity of GABAergic inhibitory neurons during postnatal development is likely to mediate synaptic refinement, enhancing precision in the mature network. Accordingly, recent evidence suggests disruption of inhibitory function as a mechanism underlying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Our lab combines cell-type specific manipulation of neuronal activity, in vivo electrophysiology, in vivo 2-photon imaging, and behavioral analysis in order to understand how the postnatal developmental of inhibition shapes sensory representation in the mature brain, and how this process is altered in neurodevelopmental disorders. Our working hypotheses are: a) Postnatal changes in the connectivity and activity patterns of interneurons instruct how sensory information is processed in the mature brain; b) Developmental dysfunction of inhibitory neurons impairs cortical circuits and is a key mechanism for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Addressing these questions will identify key developmental processes, elucidate fundamental mechanisms by which sensory information guides behavior, and potentially provide new biomarkers for neuropsychiatric diseases.

Selected Publications

Batista-Brito R, Vinck M, Ferguson KA, Laubender D, Lur G, Mossner JM, Hernandez VG, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K, Higley MJ, Cardin JA. Developmental dysfunction of VIP interneurons impairs cortical circuits. Neuron, 2017, 95(4):884-895.

Vinck M*, Batista-Brito R*, Knoblich U, Cardin JA. Arousal and locomotion make distinct contributions to cortical activity patterns and visual encoding. Neuron, 2015, 86(3):740-54. * equal contributions

McGinley MJ, Vinck M, Reimer MJ, Batista-Brito R, Zagha E, Cadwell CR, Tolias A S, Cardin JA, McCormick DA. Waking State: Rapid Variations Modulate Neural and Behavioral Responses. Neuron, 2015, 87(6):1143-61. 

R, Rossignol E, Hjerling-Leffler J , Denaxa M, Wegner M, Lefebvre V, Pachnis V, Fishell G. The cell-intrinsic requirement of Sox6 for cortical interneuron development. Neuron, 2009, 63(4):466-81. 

Tuncdemir S, Fishell G, Batista-Brito R#. miRNAs are essential for the survival and maturation of cortical interneurons. Cereb Cortex. 2014, Epub 2014 Jan 22. # corresponding author

Jaglin XH, Hjerling-Leffler J, Fishell G, Batista-Brito R#. The origin of neocortical nitric oxide synthase-expressing inhibitory neurons. Front Neural Circuits. 2012;6:44. Epub 2012 Jul 9. #corresponding author

Batista-Brito R, Machold R, Klein K and Fishell G. Gene expression in cortical interneuron precursors is prescient of their mature function. Cerebral Cortex, 2008, 18(10):2306-17.

Batista-Brito R, Fishell G. The developmental integration of cortical interneurons into a functional network. Curr Top Dev Biol, 2009, 87:81-118. 

Close J, Xu H, DeMarco N, Batista-Brito R, Budy B, Fishell G. Satb1 is required for the Maturation and integration of somatostatin interneurons into the cortex. Journal of Neuroscience. 2012, 32(49):17690-705. 

Picardo MA, Guigue P, Bonifazi P, Batista-Brito R, Allene C, Ribas A, Fishell G, Baude A, Cossart R. Pioneer GABA Cells Comprise a Subpopulation of Hub Neurons in the Developing Hippocampus. Neuron. 2011, 71(4):695-709.