Effect of nutrient sensing by microglia on mouse behavior
University of Bordeaux, France
Event Information
Host
NeuroLeman Network
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
Microglia are the brain macrophages, eliciting multifaceted functions to maintain brain homeostasis across lifetime. To achieve this, microglia are able to sense a plethora of signals in their close environment. In the lab, we investigate the effect of nutrients on microglia function for several reasons: 1) Microglia express all the cellular machinery required to sense nutrients; 2) Eating habits have changed considerably over the last century, towards diets rich in fats and sugars; 3) This so-called "Western diet" is accompanied by an increase in the occurrence of neuropathologies, in which microglia are known to play a role. In my talk, I will present data showing how variations in nutrient intake alter microglia function, including exacerbation of synaptic pruning, with profound consequences for neuronal activity and behavior. I will also show unpublished data on the mechanisms underlying the effects of nutrients on microglia, notably through the regulation of their metabolic activity.
Topics
Related Seminars
Deciphering the Dynamics of the Unconscious Brain under General Anesthesia
Stanford Neurosciences Seminar Series talk by Emery Brown (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Neuroscience Statistics Research Lab) on deciphering the dynamics of the unconscious brain under…
Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Christopher Harvey, PhD, Harvard University
Picower Institute Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition featuring Christopher Harvey, PhD, of Harvard University, held in Singleton Auditorium (46-3002) at MIT Building 46, 43 Vassar Street.
CBD 2026: The Narrating Brain: The Default Mode Network, the Self, and Consciousness in the Age of AI with Vinod Menon, PhD
Vinod Menon examines the brain's default mode network as a foundation for autobiographical memory, self-related processing, and consciousness, and considers how these functions compare with current…
Related Job Opportunities
PhD Studentship: Mitochondrial Metabolism and Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) (Fixed Term)
A fully funded University of Cambridge PhD studentship, supported by Novo Nordisk, will investigate how mitochondrial metabolism changes during metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver…
Research Associate (Fixed Term)
Kathy Niakan's laboratory at the Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to study early lineage specification in human pre- and early post-implantation embryos.…
Research Assistant/Associate (Fixed Term)
A fixed-term research position in the laboratories of Ole Paulsen and Jasper Poort will study neural mechanisms of visual learning in mice. The project combines patch-clamp electrophysiology…