Wendy B. Macklin PhD

Dr. Macklin received her M.S. degree from Yale University School of Medicine and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. The Macklin laboratory has been actively involved in research on glial biology for over thirty years. We focus primarily on in vivo and in vitro studies of glial cells to investigate normal and pathologic brain function using mutant and transgenic rodent and zebrafish systems. Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cell of the central nervous system and myelin is essential for normal nervous system development and adult function. The developing oligodendrocytes and the developing axons interact to regulate the structure and function of both the myelin itself and the axons. Our primary focus is the transcriptional and signaling pathways that regulate the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, during development and during remyelination after demyelination. We have a particular interest in communication between cells in the developing nervous system and during the repair.