Wullimann Research Group

My current research is focused on - but not restricted to - the embryonic/postembryonic development of the teleostean forebrain. Based on our previously established adult neuroanatomy of the zebrafish, we study now developmental aspects (morphogenesis, proliferation, prosomeres, radial glia, neurogenesis, neuronal phenotype development) using various cellular and molecular markers (e.g., early transcription factor expression, markers for neurochemical phenotypes, such as choline acetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase, GABA) in comparison to similar data in the adult zebrafish brain. My background is comparative neurobiology, thus, the ultimate goal of my research is two-fold: (1) our analyses deliver detailed information on the phenotypic level for cross-comparisons between model systems, and (2) at the same time, we aim at furthering the general understanding of the zebrafish (teleost) brain in an evolutionary vertebrate context. Thus, while most of our studies deal with the zebrafish, we also investigate additional teleosts, amphibians (Xenopus), and mouse.