Dorothy P. "Dori" Schafer is an assistant professor in the department of neurobiology at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
[2] Schafer has studied the phagocytic function of microglia, which is required for synaptic pruning of the connections between the retina and the lateral geniculate nucleus, as well as other highly organized pathways in the healthy central nervous system.
[3] Schafer's current research includes ablating genes of interest in microglia to determine their effects on synaptic structure as well as behavior.
[1] Microglial cytokine signaling also modulates synaptic function by regulating neurotransmitter receptor expression, which can directly impact neurotransmission.
In a MECP2-null mouse model of Rett syndrome, Schafer demonstrated that microglia contributed to disease by excessively pruning presynaptic inputs, thereby disrupting vulnerable neural circuits.