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星期四, 10月 23, 2014

BTBA seminar onTwo-neuron microculture 10/25

We are pleased to invite Dr. Chia-Ling Chang (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Center for Neurological disease (CND)) as a speaker in BTBA academic seminar on Oct 25 (Sat). Dr. Chang will speak on the topic of “Two-neuron microculture: An in vitro model to study synapse formation and function.” She will present her work on performing electrophysiological, pharmacological and morphological techniques from two-neuron microculture preparations of mouse hippocampal glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons to investigate the input and output of cells in a developing circuit.
 
Speaker: Dr. Chia-Ling Chang, Postdoc at Brigham and Women Hospital, Center for Neurological disease (CND)

Title: Two-neuron microculture: An in vitro model to study synapse formation and function

Time: 2pm on Oct 25 (Sat), 2014

Location: MIT Building 5, Room 134

Background of Speaker:

Dr. Chang is a postdoc in Dr. Jie Shen's lab at Brigham and Women Hospital, Center for Neurological disease (CND). Her research goal is to study the role of Presenilin in the regulation of synaptic function. She started her PhD in Dr. Christian Rosenmund's lab at Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscience Program and transferred with lab to Charite University Berlin. Her PhD work is to study synapse formation and function using two-neuron microcircuit. Before her PhD study, Dr. Chang worked as a project intern in Baylor College of Medicine and got her master degree in National Yang-Ming University.

Abstract:

Neural circuits are composed of mainly glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, which operate excitation and inhibition signals in the central nervous system. Precise balance between excitation and inhibition through synapse connections is crucial for normal brain function. Development of synaptic connectivity is governed by both activity-independent and activity dependent mechanisms. It has been found that neuronal activity modulates GABAergic synapse formation and function using slice or mass cultures. However, it is difficult to dissect the contribution of intrinsic programs from extrinsic environmental effects in an intact network to this process. Here, we perform electrophysiological, pharmacological and morphological techniques from two-neuron microculture preparations of mouse hippocampal glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons to investigate the input and output of cells in a developing circuit. In our reduced preparation where extrinsic effects are minimal, we find that glutamatergic neurons show no change in output or input regardless of partner neuron cell type or neuronal activity level. In contrast, we find that glutamatergic input causes the GABAergic neuron to modify its output, by way of an increase in synapse formation and a decrease in synaptic release efficiency. These findings are consistent with GABAergic synapse maturation observed in many brain regions. Additionally, changes in GABAergic output are cell wide and not target cell specific. We also find that glutamatergic neuronal activity determined the AMPA receptor properties of synapses on the partner GABAergic neuron. All modifications of GABAergic input and output required activity of the glutamatergic neuron. As our system has reduced extrinsic factors, the changes we see in the GABAergic neuron due to glutamatergic input may reflect initiation of maturation programs that underlie the formation and function of in vivo neural circuits. 

Look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Sincerely,
Committee of BTBA Academic Seminar 
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BTBA committee

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