The Harkany Lab at the Medical University of Vienna pursues experimental research on fundamental mechanisms that drive the molecular design of the mammalian brain during fetal and postnatal development, including studies on cellular diversity and intercellular signaling systems. We strive to understand how maternal life-choices during pregnancy -- including drug seeking, diet, and stress -- modify fetal development, potentially impacting the offspring for their life-time. We address these key questions by intersecting molecular, cellular, and circuit neuroscience in invertebrate and vertebrate model systems, and human subjects. The breadth of our methodological repertoire has helped us to resolve some of the most challenging and exciting questions of modern Neuroscience.