#  HEB Spring 2026 Colloquium Series: Dr. Franck Polleux 

 



    ![FranckPolleux](/sites/g/files/omnuum1771/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2026-03/portrait_FranckPolleux_medium%20%281%29.jpg?itok=ZgzKm4D5) 

 



 

####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **April 30, 2026** 

 03:00PM - 04:00PM EDT 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **Haller Hall**  



 

 



 

Dr. Franck Polleux is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University in the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute. Throughout his career, Dr Polleux has focused on the identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal development in the mammalian brain. More recently, his lab started studying the genetic basis of human brain evolution as well as the signaling pathways underlying synaptic loss during early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease progression.

Lab website: [https://polleuxlab.zi.columbia.edu](https://polleuxlab.zi.columbia.edu/)

**Talk title:**

Human-specific genetic modifiers of cortical connectivity and circuit function

**Abstract:**

My lab is studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cortical development, maintenance and evolution. I will present published and unpublished results pertaining to our work on human brain evolution. We study the role of human-specific gene duplication and their impact on cortical connectivity and circuit function in mouse and human neurons. I will also discuss our recent discovery showing that these human-specific genes are not only relevant to understand human brain evolution but also can act as human-specific disease modifiers at least in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders.



 

 



 

 See also:- [ Colloquium Lectures ](/events/colloquium-lectures)
 
 

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