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The MCM Lab
Welcome to the website of the Costa-Mattioli Lab.
The Costa-Mattioli Lab is part of the Department of Neuroscienceat Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.
More than 16,000 people visited the Science Festival Puerto de Ideas 2024 in Chile! Chile, 2024
Science Festival Puerto de Ideas 2024
MCM gave a plenary talk at FENS, Paris, 2022
Q&A time @FENS 2022!
MCM and the graduates in the lab at the commencement ceremony 2023 @Houston
Graduate student James Okoh successfully defended and graduated! -03/22
Graduate student Jacqunae Mays successfully defended her thesis and graduated! -07/22
Graduate student Yuwei successfully defended and graduated! -04/2022
Graduate student Sean successfully defended and graduated! -11/2021
Graduate student Chien-Ju successfully defended and graduated! -09/2019
Graduate student Sanjeev successfully defended and graduated! -03/2019
Martina and MCM being interviewed by TMC Pulse Magazine for the recent publication (Sgritta et al., Neuron 2019).
Visiting the Buffington lab at UTMB during Rush Record Forum 2019. (Shelly Buffington, postdoc alumni)
MCM at the Baylor College of Medicine 2019 Commencement Ceremony. (From left to right: Fabrizio, Jeff, Mauro, Kim)
The Costa-Mattioli lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying complex behaviors. Traditionally, when we think of behavior, which is greatly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, we think about the brain. However, are behaviors really controlled in the way we think?
About the lab
Broadly, the Mauro Costa-Mattioli laboratory (The MCM Lab) encompasses two complementary lines of research.
The first one, more traditional but very important, aims at unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation (e.g., using state-of-the-art molecular and cell-specific genetic approaches). Learning and memory disorders can strike the brain during development (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorders and Down Syndrome), as well as during adulthood (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). We are interested in understanding the specific circuits and molecular pathways that are primarily targeted in these disorders and how they can be restored.
To tackle these questions, we use a multidisciplinary, convergent and cross-species approach that combines mouse and fly genetics, molecular biology, electrophysiology, stem cell biology, optogenetics and behavioral techniques.
The second line of research, more recent and relatively unexplored, is focused on understanding how gut microbes control CNS driven-behavior and brain function. Our recent discoveries, that microbes in the gut could modulate brain function and behavior in a very powerful way, have added a whole new dimension to the classic view of how complex behaviors are controlled. The unexpected findings have opened new avenues of study for us and are currently driving my lab to answer a host of new and very interesting questions:
· What are the gut microbes (and metabolites) that regulate CNS-driven behaviors? Would it be possible to develop an unbiased screening method to identify specific microbes that regulate different behaviors? If this is the case, can we identify how members of the gut microbiome (and their metabolites) mechanistically influence brain function?
· What is the communication channel between the gut microbiota and the brain? Do different gut microbes use different ways to interact with the brain?
· Could disruption of the gut microbial ecology cause neurodevelopmental dysfunction? If so, what is the impact of disruption in young and adult animals?
· More importantly, could specific restoration of selected bacterial strains (new generation probiotics) represent a novel therapeutic approach for the targeted treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders?
· Finally, can we develop microbiota-directed therapeutic foods to repair brain dysfunction in a variety of neurological disorders?
Intersted in joining?
In the lab Archive
5/10/21
MCM to deliver keynote lecture at FENS 2022:
Come and join us in Paris!
4/1/22
MCM joined Altos Labs, Bay Area Institute of Science (BAI)!
1/19/21
It's recruiting season again! Check out one of the interview videos from the Neuroscience program with MCM regarding how his students think of their experiences in the lab.
12/3/20
6/9/20
Listen to our graduate student Jacqunae Mays — a sweet and loud voice against decades of social injustice, violence, discrimination and inequality — who is working to make a fairer and better world.
The MCM lab members, no matter their nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation and religion, peacefully march with you and protest against any form of discrimination and marginalization!
A speech from our graduate student Jacqunae at the peaceful protest 'Scientists and Health Professionals for Black Lives' hosted by STEM students at the Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX. 6/9/20
4/8/20
Under times of fear and uncertainties associated with the human tragedy caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID-19, we share a recent discovery that reminds everyone in the MCM lab of what’s really important. A small gesture of encouragement to all families, but especially Italian families, which have been ravaged by this pandemic.
-- "Let's stay physically distant today, so that we can hug each other stronger tomorrow." To families and friends, those who keep us strong no matter how far we are from each other: we're in this together.
MCM in search of his root: people connection is what keeps us strong and brings us together.
The Costa-Mattioli Lab / Altos Labs
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Website contents curated by MCM, Yuwei Liu and Christina Myhre