The Eichel lab focuses on the mechanisms that enable neurons to establish and maintain their elaborate polarized architecture. We study both the neurodevelopmental pathways to establish key a neuronal structure called the axon initial segment and the membrane trafficking mechanisms that establish and maintain a polarized distribution of membrane proteins in the distinct neuronal domains of axons and dendrites. Elucidating these mechanisms promises insights into how polarity can be restored during the vast array of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders that are associated with a loss of neuronal polarity.
