Neurons use mRNA translation to communicate, allowing previous experience to direct future action. We are investigating how this happens using cell type-specific translation profiling in both mouse brain and in human brain slices. Through this work, we are also studying the mRNAs that are mistranslated in the absence of autism-related genes such as FMR1 and SYNGAP1, which regulate protein synthesis at synapses. Our goal is to understand the translation events that contribute to cognition and are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders.