Glial cells

This meeting examines how interactions among glial cells and neurons influence nervous-system development, function and disease. Genomic and functional studies address microglia, astrocytes and myelinating cells, including diversity within each class and their contributions to circuits, behaviour and neurodegeneration. Programme themes cover neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, ageing, human glia, glia-focused technologies, and interactions with immune cells and other glia. Talks, posters and extended discussion support exchange among established researchers and trainees. Applicants n

…evidence that astrocytes, a subtype of glial cells in the brain, can exocytotically release the neurotransmitter glutamate and how this release is regulated. Spatiotemporal characteristic of vesicular fusion that underlie glutamate release in astrocytes will be discussed. He will also present data on a translational project in which this release pathwa

…highlighting the active role of glial cells in modulating neuronal dynamics. Glial cells, including astrocytes and microglia, have been found to influence various aspects of neuronal function, such as regulating neurotransmitter concentrations and ion buffering. Yet, the mechanisms through which glial cells communicate with and affect neighboring neurons remain unclear. In this study, we seek to develop a computational model to explore recent experimental findings which demonstrated that glial cells physically wrap around, o

Recent studies revealed that the dysfunction of post-synapse and/or pre-synapse related to neuropsychological disorder such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). HPC-1/syntaxin1A (STX1A) is known to regulate neurotransmitter release at pre-synaptic terminal. Previously, we found that some ASD patients were haploid for STX1A gene. We also reported that STX1A gene knockout mice (STX1A KO) showed unusual behavioral profiles similar to human ASD patient. Interestingly, the deficit of social recognition, one of the unusual behavior in STX1A KO, partially ameriolated with dopamine (DA) receptor agonis

The modern world is increasingly dependent upon artificial intelligence and machine learning. Applications range from decision-making in areas such as health and finance to autonomous vehicle control. However, current deep-learning machines and neural network algorithms have important limitations, namely ineffective learning rules, long training, and high power consumption (1). In the present project, we aim to address these limitations by using the human nervous system itself as a model, which can process external information in a power-efficient way. To accomplish this objective, we utilize

…of chick and rat.We also cultured glial cells from both chickens and rats, combined with a glial cell-derived condition

Cerebral ischemia is the result of reduced or interrupted blood flow to the brain. Cerebral ischemia is reversible or irreversible in the neurons of the affected area, and subsequent free radical damage can be exacerbated by reperfusion. Ciproxifan is used to study the involvement of histaminergic neurons in different phases such as wakefulness and cognition. We wanted to find out whether ciproxifan has a protective effect on the hippocampus of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.A total of 32 adult male rats were used for the experiment. Four cages were formed with randomly selecte

…Thus, glial cells are currently the focus of a number of studies in order to understand their contribution to the addictive properties of opiates, as they have the ability to modu

…gene expression of single cells with their ultrastructural morphology by integrating multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) and large area volume electron microscopy (EM) on adjacent tissue sections. Using this method, we characterized in situ ultrastructural and transcriptional responses of glial cells and infiltrating T-cells after demyelinating brain injury in male mice. We ide

Glial cells show great diversity and differ in terms of their functional roles. Microglia, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes interact with neurons and thus ensure the functionality of the neurons. However, little is known about how they interact with different neuronal cell types. We investigate glial and neuronal interactions in a connectomic dataset with a resolution that enables us to see synapses and subcellular structures. Our area X dataset, a singing-related basal ganglia nucleus, in the zebra finch contains thousands of neurons and a million synapses and different glial cell types: astr

…points toward the involvement of glial cells, alongside neurons, in disease progression. Understanding how glia remodel synaptic connections is crucial for understanding the onset of AD. Additionally, in the context of AD-specific risk genes, how this intricate balance is disrupted will aid in deciphering early disease mechanisms. In this study, primary glia cells were co-cultured in 3D with primary neurons pre-treated with pharmacological modulators targeting amyloid precursor protein (APP) proce

…arise from the mesoderm whereas glial cells arise from multipotent precursors in the neurogenic region. These cell types represent, respectively, the macrophages located outside and within the nervous system (similar to vertebrate microglia). Thus, despite their different origin, hemocytes and glia display common functions. In addition, both cell types express the Glide/Gcm transcription factor, which plays an evolutionarily conserved role as an a

…Astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells, sense and modify neuronal activity, but their role in remote memory is scarcely explored. We manipulated the activity of hippocampal astrocytes during memory acquisition and discovered it impaired remote, but not recent, memory retrieval. We also revealed a massive recruitment of cortical-projecting hippocampal

To function properly, the nervous system consumes vast amounts of energy, which is mostly provided by carbohydrate metabolism. Neurons are very sensitive to changes in the extracellular fluid surrounding them, which necessitated shielding of the nervous system from fluctuating solute concentrations in circulation. This is achieved by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that prevents paracellular diffusion of solutes into the nervous system. This in turn also means that all nutrients that are needed e.g. for sufficient energy supply need to be transported over the BBB. We use Drosophila as a model sy