Research in the Metz lab investigates the influence of experience and environment on behaviour and brain plasticity. Our work showed that stress affects motor system function, risk of Parkinson’s disease and recovery from stroke. This research indicated that adverse experience at any time in life can become a predisposing or precipitating factor of disease. More recently, our laboratory has developed unique models to explore transgenerational inheritance of stress response. Through transgenerational programming, experience in grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond can influence health trajectories from early development to old age.
