My short- and long-term career goals are to investigate the cellular and circuit basis of brain development, plasticity and disorders. This research is not only required to improve basic understanding of brain function but also to identify novel therapeutic strategies for cognitive dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders, since these symptoms are resistant to current treatments but are a strong predictor of long-term functional outcome. Currently, studying properties of inhibitory interneurons that allow them to serve as information capture and storage devices in the brain. Towards this end, I am performing in vivo imaging, electrophysiology and optogenetic experiments combined with molecular perturbations such as CRISPR, to identify cellular mechanisms that enable their retention and consolidation of information. Understanding mechanisms that allow interneurons to integrate information from heterogeneous sources and influence plasticity may also enable a new framework for conceptualizing a host of neurodevelopmental disorders like Rett syndrome.