Adult
adult neurogenesis
Elisa Galliano
The project aims to elucidate the role of morphologically and developmentally diverse dopaminergic neurons in olfactory processing by combining timed stereotaxic injections of opto- and chemogenetic effectors and automated olfactory behavioural testing with whole-cell electrophysiology. By integrating these approaches, you will provide a multi-level synthesis of how developmentally-defined neurons of the same class differentially contribute to sensory processing.
Hayder Amin
This position is focused on developing a real-time bidirectional Brain-Machine interfacing framework, enabling active decoding and communication between a CMOS-chip and a rodent cortico-hippocampal circuit. The successful applicant will develop and implement biomimetic electronics to mimic/integrate the spatiotemporal information transmission within a large-scale hippocampal circuitry empowered by the enhanced computational function of the newly generated neurons. The outcome will profoundly impact science and society – it would offer a better tool for understanding information coding in neural regenerative circuitry and potentially providing novel restorative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries. Apply here: https://jobs.dzne.de/de/jobs/60681/postdoctoral-researcher-fmd-in-biomimetic-hippocampal-prosthesis-802920211
Hayder Amin
The position is focused on developing a brain-inspired computational model using parallel, non-linear algorithms to investigate the neurogenesis complexity in large-scale systems. The successful applicant will specifically develop a neurogenic-plasticity-inspired bottom-up computational metamodel using our unique experimentally derived multidimensional parameters for a cortico-hippocampal circuit. The project aims to link computational modeling to experimental neuroscience to provide an explicit bidirectional prediction for complex performance and neurogenic network reserve for functional compensation to the brain demands in health and disease.
Rejuvenating the Alzheimer’s brain: Challenges & Opportunities
Establishment and aging of the neuronal DNA methylation landscape in the hippocampus
The hippocampus is a brain region with key roles in memory formation, cognitive flexibility and emotional control. Yet hippocampal function is impaired severely during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, and impairments in hippocampal function underlie age-related cognitive decline. Accumulating evidence suggests that the deterioration of the neuron-specific epigenetic landscape during aging contributes to their progressive, age-related dysfunction. For instance, we have recently shown that aging is associated with pronounced alterations of neuronal DNA methylation patterns in the hippocampus. Because neurons are generated mostly during development with limited replacement in the adult brain, they are particularly long-lived cells and have to maintain their cell-type specific gene expression programs life-long in order to preserve brain function. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the establishment and long-term maintenance of neuron-specific gene expression programs, will help us to comprehend the sources and consequences of their age-related deterioration. In this talk, I will present our recent work that investigated the role of DNA methylation in the establishment of neuronal gene expression programs and neuronal function, using adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus as a model. I will then describe the effects of aging on the DNA methylation landscape in the hippocampus and discuss the malleability of the aging neuronal methylome to lifestyle and environmental stimulation.
Spatio-temporal control of adult neurogenesis for on-demand brain plasticity
Stem cell approaches to understand acquired and genetic epilepsies
The Hsieh lab focuses on the mechanisms that promote neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation in embryonic and adult brain. Using mouse models, video-EEG monitoring, viral techniques, and imaging/electrophysiological approaches, we elucidated many of the key transcriptional/epigenetic regulators of adult neurogenesis and showed aberrant new neuron integration in adult rodent hippocampus contribute to circuit disruption and seizure development. Building on this work, I will present our recent studies describing how GABA-mediated Ca2+ activity regulates the production of aberrant adult-born granule cells. In a new direction of my laboratory, we are using human induced pluripotent stem cells and brain organoid models as approaches to understand brain development and disease. Mutations in one gene, Aristaless-related homeobox (ARX), are of considerable interest since they are known to cause a common spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy, autism, and intellectual disability. We have generated cortical and subpallial organoids from patients with poly-alanine expansion mutations in ARX. To understand the nature of ARX mutations in the organoid system, we are currently performing cellular, molecular, and physiological analyses. I will present these data to gain a comprehensive picture of the effect of ARX mutations in brain development. Since we do not understand how human brain development is affected by ARX mutations that contribute to epilepsy, we believe these studies will allow us to understand the mechanism of pathogenesis of ARX mutations, which has the potential to impact the diagnosis and care of patients.
Adult neurogenesis in mouse hippocampus
Dr. Aixa V. Morales has been working for more than 20 years in the field of Developmental Biology and from 2005, she is the PI of the laboratory on “Molecular Control of Neurogenesis” at Cajal Institute. Along these years, she has contributed to understanding the control of neurogenesis during development, the dorsoventral specification of neural progenitors, and the temporal control of the migration of neural crest cells. More recently, her lab interest moved towards understanding modulation of adult neurogenesis. Her lab current interest is the control of quiescence, as a mechanism of long-term neural stem cell maintenance in adult niches.
Brain Awareness Week @ IITGN
Traumatic injury in the nervous system leads to devastating consequences such as paralysis. The regenerative capacity of the nervous system is limited in adulthood. In this talk, Dr. Anindya would be sharing how the simple nematode C. elegans with its known connectome can inform us about the biology of nervous system repair.
Adult Neurogenesis, Enriched Environments, and the Neurobiology of Early Life-style Dependent Resilience
Neuroscience Investigations in the Virgin Lands of African Biodiversity
Africa is blessed with a rich diversity and abundance in rodent and avian populations. This natural endowment on the continent portends research opportunities to study unique anatomical profiles and investigate animal models that may confer better neural architecture to study neurodegenerative diseases, adult neurogenesis, stroke and stem cell therapies. To this end, African researchers are beginning to pay closer attention to some of her indigenous rodents and birds in an attempt to develop spontaneous laboratory models for homegrown neuroscience-based research. For this presentation, I will be showing studies in our lab, involving cellular neuroanatomy of two rodents, the African giant rat (AGR) and Greater cane rat (GCR), Eidolon Bats (EB) and also the Striped Owl (SO). Using histological stains (Cresyl violet and Rapid Golgi) and immunohistochemical biomarkers (GFAP, NeuN, CNPase, Iba-1, Collagen 2, Doublecortin, Ki67, Calbindin, etc), and Electron Microscopy, morphology and functional organizations of neuronal and glial populations of the AGR , GCR, EB and SO brains have been described, with our work ongoing. In addition, the developmental profiles of the prenatal GCR brains have been chronicled across its entire gestational period. Brains of embryos/foetuses were harvested for gross morphological descriptions and then processed using immunofluorescence biomarkers to determine the pattern, onset, duration and peak of neurogenesis (Pax6, Tbr1, Tbr2, NF, HuCD, MAP2) and the onset and peak of glial cell expressions and myelination in the prenatal GCR. The outcome of these research efforts has shown unique neuroanatomical expressions and networks amongst Africa’s rich biodiversity. It is hopeful that continuous effort in this regard will provide sufficient basic research data on neural developments and cellular neuroanatomy with subsequent translational consequences.
Adult neurogenesis regulates social dominance and anxiety
FENS Forum 2024
Adult neurogenesis in the Drosophila olfactory system
FENS Forum 2024
Analysis of differences in hippocampal adult neurogenesis induced by acute mild and severe seizures in young mice
FENS Forum 2024
Characterization of adult neurogenesis in Acomys cahirinus by lineage tracing analysis
FENS Forum 2024
Environmental enrichment effects on hippocampal microglia and adult neurogenesis
FENS Forum 2024
Pharmacological activation of the dopamine D4 receptor prevents morphine-induced impairment of adult neurogenesis in the subventricular zone: Functional implications in odor discrimination learning
FENS Forum 2024