The Wang Lab seeks to understand how the environment during early development shapes the function of the nervous system. Right from the time we were born (and even prior to that), our brains become swamped with sensory information from our surroundings, triggering a reconfiguration of our neural pathways. This reconfiguration empowers us to understand language, perform complex sensory tasks, develop advanced motor skills, and grasp the nuances of social interactions. Our current research focuses on understanding how the external sensory input guides the formation of neural circuits in the olfactory system utilizing Drosophila melanogaster as the model organism.

Olfaction is one of the oldest senses allowing organisms to identify food, potential mating partners, danger and enemies. Therefore, the ability to sense odor is directly associated with essential behaviors such as fight or flight response, courting behavior, and feeding. Our goal is to understand the mechanisms by which early development instruct network connectivity and function in olfactory circuits. We also wish to understand how these experiential changes shape behavior. Our work employs cellular and physiological techniques including optogenetics and chemogenetics to reveal the physiological functions of sensory organ-to-brain circuits