The Xin lab studies how oligodendrocytes and myelin shape neuronal function at the molecular, synaptic, and circuit levels. These interactions are crucial for normal brain function and, when disrupted, result in serious deficits in motor function and cognition. Studies in preclinical models suggest that myelination is essential for different forms of learning and memory. However, many questions remain, including how oligodendrocytes and their myelin sheaths interact with specific types of neurons to impact their function and plasticity. To address this knowledge gap, the lab combines innovative genetic tools with high-resolution approaches for studying neuronal physiology to examine how oligodendrocytes and myelin shape neuronal circuit maturation, function, and plasticity. This work advances our fundamental understanding of brain function and has wide-ranging implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Wendy Xin obtained her BSc at the University of Toronto and PhD in neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco before returning to Toronto to start her lab at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute and Krembil Brain Institute at UHN. Her lab focuses on the reciprocal interactions between neurons and oligodendrocytes, the cells that make myelin in the central nervous system, and how they instruct neuronal circuit maturation and plasticity.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto