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featuring
 
Laura K. Fonken, PhD
University of Texas at Austin, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Join us on Tuesday December 9th at 11:00am ET
Registration for the live event is FREE and you do not need to be a member!
Microglial rhythms contribute to sex-specific changes in behavior across the lifespan
Life on Earth has evolved under predictable daily cycles of light and darkness, leading to the development of an endogenous 24-hour timekeeping system called the circadian system. The circadian system coordinates temporal energetic activities that control many aspects of physiology and behavior. Indeed, the immune system is tightly regulated by the circadian system, including the activity of microglia—the primary innate immune cells of the central nervous system. In this talk, we will explore rhythms in neuroimmune activity across the lifespan and discuss how disruption of the circadian system can alter the neuroimmune environment, leading to behavioral changes. Our work demonstrates that during early life, microglia display rhythms in fundamental activities such as synaptic pruning. Both environmental and targeted genetic disruption of the circadian clock in early life can lead to sex-specific disruptions in microglial activities – culminating in altered synaptic activity and social behaviors. Conversely, during aging, microglial rhythms degrade, which potentiates neuroinflammatory responses and age-associated impairments in learning and memory. This work has important implications for understanding how circadian system disruption causes changes in brain and behavior.
About the Speaker
Laura Fonken is an Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience with Dr. Randy Nelson at The Ohio State University, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado Boulder with Dr. Steven Maier. Research in the Fonken lab focuses on: (1) understanding how neuroimmune function changes with aging and affects behavior; and (2) examining the role of environmental factors (e.g., circadian disruption) in regulating neuroimmune processes across development.
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featuring
Laurent Groc, PhD (DR)
CNRS - Université de Bordeaux
Join us for a live presentation
Will be rescheduled TBD
Autoimmunity in Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Neurological and psychiatric symptoms, as well as cognitive deficits, represent a prominent phenotype associated with variable forms of autoimmune encephalitis, regardless of the neurotransmitter receptor targeted by autoantibodies. The mechanistic underpinnings of these autoantibody-mediated conditions remain however still unclear. Using a combination of single molecule and superresolution imaging, immunocytochemistry, and electrophysiology, we investigated the molecular and cellular impacts of patient-derived autoantibodies against the glutamatergic NMDA receptor and other targets in the hippocampus. Here, I will discuss how autoimmunity in the neuropsychiatry is changing our field. More specifically, our current understanding on how autoantibodies trigger convergent network dysfunctions through a combination of shared and distinct mechanisms will be discussed, highlighting the major impact of autoantibodies onto extrasynaptic receptors. In addition, tuning the surface dynamics of membrane receptors emerges as an efficient target to circumvent autoantibody-induced cellular deficits.
Laurent Groc is Exceptional Class Research Director (DRCE CNRS) at the CNRS and Université de Bordeaux, head of the Team Developmental Brain Physiology and Pathology, and deputy director of the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience. His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the maturation of glutamate synapses in physiology and neuropsychiatric conditions, such as psychosis. He received his Ph.D. in Neurosciences in 2000 from Wayne State University (Michigan, USA) and Université de Lyon (France). He then joined the Department of Physiology at the University of Goteborg (Sweden) as a postdoctoral fellow to investigate the physiology of developing synapses. In 2004, he was appointed CNRS young investigator (CR) in Bordeaux to decrypt how excitatory synapses mature using an original combination of approaches. He received several prestigious awards, including the 2008 CNRS Young Investigator Award, 2009 Young Investigator Biology Award of the French Science Academy, 2015 Prix Foulon of the French Science Academy, 2015 Prix Dassault, 2016 Human Frontier Science Program Award, 2020 ERC Synergy Award, and 2022 CNRS Silver Medal. In 2020, he has been nominated Guest Professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden. Biosketch.
Webpage: Laurent Groc - France | CNRS
Presentations will be recorded for member access after the sessions.
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