Developmental Neurobiology
Developmental Neurobiology is the scientific study of the molecular and cellular basis of healthy brain development. It also includes the study of how these processes can be altered in diseases that strike the young, like schizophrenia.
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Professor Cyndi Shannon Weickert
Macquarie Group Foundation
Chair of Schizophrenia Research
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Cyndi is driven by her own experience of growing up with a twin brother who developed schizophrenia and has spent the last twenty-plus years investigating how the developing brain is affected by genes, hormones and growth factors in schizophrenia. She is one of a handful of developmental neurobiologists in the world who specialise in schizophrenia research and her team at the
Schizophrenia Research Laboratory * has had many successes, most notably the commencement of the first clinical drug trial for the Schizophrenia Research Institute.
Using an existing hormone modulator, the trial aims to improve cognitive and memory function for people with schizophrenia, opening a possibility of further education and extended employment.
Other Areas We Are Currently Exploring in This Area include:
- When does schizophrenia begin? Identifying the critical time periods, such as infancy and adolescence, during which the brain development can be negatively impacted to result in schizophrenia
- Examining nerve growth factors in schizophrenia
- Developing and optimising biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia
- Personalising treatments in schizophrenia
Learn More About
The Schizophrenia Research Laboratory
Cyndi's Team
Key Institute Scientists- Developmental Neurobiology
*The Schizophrenia Research Laboratory is a joint initiative of the Schizophrenia Research Institute, University of NSW, Neuroscience Research Australia, and the Macquarie Group Foundation. It is supported by NSW Health.
Developmental Neurobiology
