Professor Samantha Butler studies a fundamental issue in development and neuroscience—how the embryonic brain gets wired. Prof. Butler examines the development of neurons in the spinal cord, focusing on how these cells connect with other neurons in the brain's communication network. Specifically, she studies how axons, threadlike extensions of neurons that transmit signals to the neural network, hook up with nearby neurons in a carefully orchestrated process. A series of biochemical cues guide axon growth, with compounds that attract the tip of the axon in one direction or repel it from another direction, to precise targets in the brain. Prof. Butler discovered a "novel chemorepellent” and continues to study these chemorepellents, in part by examining the genetics underlying the process. She aims to understand how the many guidance cues work together. Her long-term goal is to find out whether similar compounds could help re-establish such pathways after paralysis. Prof. Butler's exploration of budding axons and the establishment of new neural connections has already attracted the attention of those interested in finding ways to encourage the re-growth or repair of damaged neurons in the spinal cord—a leading cause of paralysis. Butler has received a grant from the Spinal Cord Research Foundation/Paralyzed Veterans of America to pursue her research.