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Ayano has a prime interest in the biological basis that governs the way we act, think and become psychologically ill. As a vestige of the evolution that has selected designs or logics of the nervous system, the brain development in the extant animals might reveal the step-by-step implementation of the elemental schemes. The snapshots may reveal an overarching program, i.e. how existing neural circuits are selected and elaborated to define the behavioral repertoires of a given species. Understanding from this perspective would be material to comprehend the etiologies of neurodevelopmental disorders, e.g. as a maladaptation of ancient, millions-year-old systems built in the brain. More specifically, she's working to understand the cell-type specific vulnerability observed in Huntington’s disease; if it could be accounted for cell-type specific molecular pathways governed by the developmental history (i.e., birthdate and/or birthplace) of the cells, especially, striatal projection neurons.
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