Research Interest:

• Normal brain development also referred as neurogenesis, involves a balance between Neural Stem Cell (NSC) proliferation, their migration to different parts of the brain followed by differentiation to neurons,     astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. For optimum brain development newly generated neurons move along precise pathways from their points of origin to their assigned locations, establish synapses with each other, and communicate via these synapses. Several environmental toxicants are reported to cause developmental neurotoxicity in both children and adults. We are trying to understand how environmental toxicants (pesticides and xenoestrogen) affect key events of neurogenesis including regulatory cell signaling pathways. Further, we are involved to assess the molecular and/or cellular events that are target(s) for inhibition of neurogenesis.

• Use of human and rodent Neural Stem Cells as an alternate in vitro model to assess the neurotoxic potential of environmental contaminants.

• To assess the cellular and molecular mechanism of neurodegenerative disorders specially Parkinson’s disease, and how environmental toxicants modulate the disease pathogenesis