Cell Biology
Developmental Biology/Morphology
Imaging
Neuroscience
Angelo Iulianella, Ph.D
Professor
Medical Neuroscience
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
This session covers connectivity in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems, and the role of glial cells during the development and ageing of the brain. The first talk of the session will describe the use of mouse models to identify signaling mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and how these can be used to re-establish neuronal connectivity in diseases of the nervous system. The second talk will describe the role of retinoid (vitamin A) signalling in the regulation of the peripheral nervous system of the developing gut. The third short talk will focus on the influence of astrocytes derived from human fragile X syndrome patients in regulating synaptic activity in engrafted mouse brains, as a novel chimeric disease model system. The last short talk will describe an oligodendrocyte cell fate labeling approach in mouse brains to follow the changes in oligodendrocyte populations in response to injury and aging. Altogether, the session will highlight the versatility of using mouse genetic strategies and engraftment approaches to identify cellular and molecular pathological mechanisms that lead to neurodegenerative and congenital disorders, and reveal possible therapeutic strategies to repair neuronal connectivity.
Speaker: Xiangmin Xu – University of Califoirnia, Irvine
Speaker: Naomi Tjaden – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Presenting Author: Alexandria Anding – University of Nebraska Medical Center
Presenting Author: Abigail R. Kucera – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
