Molecular Logic of Synapse Organization and Plasticity
University of Manitoba
Event Information
Host
McGill Neuro
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
Connections between nerve cells called synapses are the fundamental units of communication and information processing in the brain. The accurate wiring of neurons through synapses into neural networks or circuits is essential for brain organization. Neuronal networks are sculpted and refined throughout life by constant adjustment of the strength of synaptic communication by neuronal activity, a process known as synaptic plasticity. Deficits in the development or plasticity of synapses underlie various neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, schizophrenia and intellectual disability. The Siddiqui lab research program comprises three major themes. One, to assess how biochemical switches control the activity of synapse organizing proteins, how these switches act through their binding partners and how these processes are regulated to correct impaired synaptic function in disease. Two, to investigate how synapse organizers regulate the specificity of neuronal circuit development and how defined circuits contribute to cognition and behaviour. Three, to address how synapses are formed in the developing brain and maintained in the mature brain and how microcircuits formed by synapses are refined to fine-tune information processing in the brain. Together, these studies have generated fundamental new knowledge about neuronal circuit development and plasticity and enabled us to identify targets for therapeutic intervention.
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…
Engineering human myelination in vitro: Mechanobiologically compatible platforms for CNS drug discovery
UCL Department of Neuroinflammation Seminar by Professor Emad Moeendarbary (Professor of Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology, UCL Mechanical Engineering) on how biophysical factors such as substrate…
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.
Related Job Opportunities
PhD Studentship: Mitochondrial Metabolism and Novel Therapeutic Strategies for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) (Fixed Term)
Supervisors: Professor Andrew Murray, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge Dr Ross Lindsay, Novo Nordisk Funding: Fully funded PhD studentship (Home/UK…
Research Associate (Fixed Term)
We seek a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the laboratory of Professor Kathy Niakan. We are based in the Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research (LCTR), in the Department of…
Research Assistant/Associate (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate position to study the neural mechanisms of visual learning in mice, in the laboratories of Professor Ole Paulsen and Dr Jasper Poort…