Topic: central nervous system

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also referred to as concussion, is a common yet incompletely understood condition of the central nervous system. While traditionally considered to be limited in scope and self-resolving, recent studies point to a much more insidious nature of the injury that can continue to evolve for months, years or even the remaining lifetime of the victim. I review the available literature, with a focus on electrophysiological and imaging studies with a follow up period of at least 3 months from injury. Where available, I include observations on the behavioral, cognitive

Microglia are implicated in a variety of functions in the central nervous system, ranging from shaping neural circuits during early brain development, to surveying the brain parenchyma, and providing trophic support to neurons across the entire lifespan. In neurodegeneration, microglia have been considered for long time mere bystanders, accompanying and worsening neuronal damage. However, recent evidence indicates that microglia can causally contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, and that their dysfunction can even be at the origin of the pathology. In fact, the broad range of physiological

Rhythmic activity in the brain has been reported in relation to a wide range of cognitive processes. Changes in the rhythmic activity have been related to pathological states. These observations raise the question of the origin of these rhythms: can the mechanisms responsible for generation of these rhythms and that allow the propagation of the rhythmic signal be acquired via a process of learning? In my talk I will focus on spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and examine under what conditions this unsupervised learning rule can facilitate the propagation of rhythmic activity downstream i

The long-term goal of my research is to study the mammalian retina as a model for the central nervous system (CNS) -- to understand how it functions in physiological conditions, how it is formed, how it breaks down in pathological conditions, and how it can be repaired. I have focused on two research themes: 1) Photoreceptor structure, synapse, circuits, and development, 2) Hibernation and metabolic adaptations in the retina and beyond. As the first neuron of the visual system, photoreceptors are vital for photoreception and transmission of visual signals. I am particularly interested in cone

After an injury in the adult mammalian central nervous system, lesioned axons fail to regenerate. This failure to regenerate contrasts with the remarkable potential of axons to grow during embryonic development and after an injury in the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral sensory neurons with cell soma in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) switch to a regenerative state after nerve injury to enable axon regeneration and functional recovery. Decades of research have focused on the signaling pathways elicited by injury in sensory neurons and in Schwann cells that insulate axons as central mechanisms r

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of very heterogeneous diseases in which the development of the central nervous system is defective. In neurodevelopmental disorders defective brain development translates into aberrant brain function, which can manifest for example as impaired learning, motor function, or social interaction. Despites years of investigation in animal models and clinical research on neurodevelopmental disorders, there are currently no approved pharmacological treatments for core symptoms of the vast majority of them. Here, I will share some recent work (but also some appr

Electrophysiology of eye and visual pathway is useful tool in ophthalmology and neurology. It covers a few examinations to find out if defect of vision is peripheral or central. Visual evoked potentials (VEP) are most frequently used in neurology and neuroophthalmology. VEP are evoked by flash or pattern stimulations. The combination of these both examinations gives more information about the visual pathway. It is very important to remember that VEP originate in the retina and reflect its function as well. In many cases not only VEP but also electroretinography (ERG) is essential for diagnosi

The Cepko lab investigates the mechanisms that direct development of the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates, with a focus on the retina. These studies have revealed that the retina has distinct types of progenitor cells that are biased, or committed, to produce distinct types of daughter cells in terminal divisions. The gene regulatory networks that underlie these cell fate choices are being studied by analysis of both gene function and cis-regulatory networks. New methods that enable these studies have been developed, including high throughput enhancer assays and quantitative, inexpe

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Despite advancements in diagnostic methods, early detection remains challenging. Metabolomic analysis offers a promising, non-invasive approach to identify potential biomarkers for improved diagnostic precision.Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples from 24 healthy controls, 48 MS patients, and 20 Non-MS patients with a range of diverse conditions, including infections, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory issues, and other neurological disorders were collected during lumbar puncture. NMR analysis on a

Migraine is a recurrent headache disorder characterized by episodes of acute pain. The overall objective of this work, was to test the hypothesis that the NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in the pathophysiology of migraine and that NLRP3 blockade may represent a novel strategy for migraine management through the design of novel inhibitors. The phenotype of NLRP3 knockout (NLRP3 KO) mice has been investigated in a mouse model of migraine induced by the i.p. administration of nitroglycerin (NTG). Using the same model, were tested the effects of MCC950, a standard NLRP3 inhibitor able to cross the