We still don’t know what properties of the brain promote and limit the ability to learn although behaviorally, we observe individual, sex, and age differences in the long-term effects of experience.
Memory formation requires that two major levels of neurobiology are coordinated 1) the presence of a subset of cells, or "ensemble," that are capable of participating in memory storage and 2) the triggering of appropriate molecular and genomic changes in response to experience. The challenges of placing molecular underpinnings of neural plasticity within cell populations that are engaged in memory formation are compounded by the need to behaviorally link cellular and molecular brain properties to the ability to learn.
In the London Lab, we take advantage of a model system that has a Critical Period for sensory learning, the zebra finch songbird, to discover how epigenetic mechanisms, genomic regulation, molecular signaling, and cell subtypes contribute to the ability to learn complex natural behaviors. Because Critical Periods define restricted phases in development when an experience is optimally encoded in ways that have long-term consequences on brain function and behavioral patterns, we can meaningfully link neural properties before, during, and after the Critical Period to behavioral outcomes.
Univ IL, Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
postdoc - genomics, neuroscience
2011
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA
PhD - neuroscience
2005
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
BA - biology & psychology
1997
Epigenetic-Based Evidence for Distinct Effects of Age, Sex, and Experience in Developmental Critical Period Learning.
Epigenetic-Based Evidence for Distinct Effects of Age, Sex, and Experience in Developmental Critical Period Learning. Dev Neurobiol. 2026 Jul; 86(3):e70039.
PMID: 42178895
Molecular marker of memory formation reveals complex mechanisms of developmental learning.
Molecular marker of memory formation reveals complex mechanisms of developmental learning. BMC Neurosci. 2026 05 28; 27(1).
PMID: 42210063
Chromatin Profiling Reveals Distinct Male and Female Trajectories for Developmental Learning Potential.
Chromatin Profiling Reveals Distinct Male and Female Trajectories for Developmental Learning Potential. Dev Neurobiol. 2026 01; 86(1):e23017.
PMID: 41214891
Simultaneous RNA Sequencing and DNA Methylation Profiling Reveals Neural Mechanisms That Regulate Sensitive Period Behavioral Learning.
Simultaneous RNA Sequencing and DNA Methylation Profiling Reveals Neural Mechanisms That Regulate Sensitive Period Behavioral Learning. Genes Brain Behav. 2025 08; 24(4):e70031.
PMID: 40776851
Listen and learn.
Listen and learn. Elife. 2023 06 07; 12.
PMID: 37284823
Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species.
Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species. Nature. 2021 04; 592(7856):737-746.
PMID: 33911273
Experience selectively alters functional connectivity within a neural network to predict learned behavior in juvenile songbirds.
Experience selectively alters functional connectivity within a neural network to predict learned behavior in juvenile songbirds. Neuroimage. 2020 11 15; 222:117218.
PMID: 32745678
Gene manipulation to test links between genome, brain and behavior in developing songbirds: a test case.
Gene manipulation to test links between genome, brain and behavior in developing songbirds: a test case. J Exp Biol. 2020 02 07; 223(Pt Suppl 1).
PMID: 32034039
Inhibitory cell populations depend on age, sex, and prior experience across a neural network for Critical Period learning.
Inhibitory cell populations depend on age, sex, and prior experience across a neural network for Critical Period learning. Sci Rep. 2019 12 27; 9(1):19867.
PMID: 31882750
State Variability in Diagnosed Conditions for IDEA Part C Eligibility.
State Variability in Diagnosed Conditions for IDEA Part C Eligibility. Infants Young Child. 2019 Dec; 32(4):231-244.
PMID: 32327900