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Research in the Washbourne Lab focuses on the genetic, molecular, and cellular underpinnings of social behavior. Using behavioral, biochemical, histological and genetic analyses, we are examining the circuits and the molecules that make social behavior possible and how they form during development. We have focused for the time being on social behavior in the zebrafish, a very social fish that follows and orients with respect to other zebrafish. Our work has implications for neurological disorders with social components such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.