'Wiring the Functional Brain' Prof. Hisashi Umemori.

Speaker: Prof. Hisashi Umemori

F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital

Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Title: Wiring the Functional Brain

Abstract: Precise assembly of synapses is critical for proper functioning of the brain. Abnormal synapse formation contributes to various neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. The goals of our research are to understand the mechanisms underlying the establishment of appropriate synaptic connections in the brain and provide clues for the treatment of disorders associated with abnormal synapse formation.

Synapses are formed through the communication between the appropriate synaptic partners. There are two important steps in order for synapses to form properly: a neural activity-independent step and a neural activity-dependent step. In the first step, pre- and postsynaptic cells recognize and differentiate each other by exchanging molecular cues to form specific synaptic connections. In the second step, activity-dependent signals stabilize active synapses and destabilize inactive ones to establish efficient and functional synaptic connections. I will talk about our recent findings on the molecular mechanisms underlying these two critical steps of functional brain wiring. I will show how multiple synaptic organizing molecules cooperate to establish specific and functional synaptic connections in the hippocampus, the structure critical for memory formation, emotional processing, and social behavior. Finally, I will discuss the possible involvement of synaptic organizers in neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Host: 

Tadashi Yamamoto, Cell Signal Unit