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The regulation of translational efficiency and RNA stability are key aspects of neuronal development and communication. Deficiencies in either process may lead to abnormal changes in structure or function of the brain throughout an organism’s lifespan, e.g. autism spectrum disorders and/or dementia. Work on DNA and RNA over the past couple of decades has demonstrated that the central dogma of molecular biology is much more complicated than anticipated, and that the sequences in messenger RNA can serve purposes beyond encoding the amino acid sequence of a protein. I am interested in finding how epigenetic features of messenger RNA (such as methylation, 3’ UTR structure, and localisation elements) impact upon their transport, translation, and decay at synaptic sites in response to environmental cues. For this purpose, I use sympathetic neurons as a model system for imaging, sequencing, and molecular techniques.