A Talk by Risa Iguchi : Impact of social isolation on neuronal circuit development: interpretation for future perspective of cross talk at synaptic local environment in stress resilience

Abstract : Many neuroscience studies target neuropsychiatric disorders and seek to uncover the mechanisms and effective treatments. While it is hypothesized that miswiring of neural circuits in the cerebral cortex during postnatal development may underlie behavioral defects, the precise details of these circuit-level abnormalities remain yet to be revealed. Dendritic spines, numerous protruding structures formed on neurons, undergo plastic changes that influence the expression of neurotransmitter receptors. A comprehensive analysis of the structure and function of dendritic spines is crucial for shedding light on the mechanisms in neural circuit development and associated disorders. In an upcoming seminar, Dr. Iguchi will share her research findings, using in vivo two photon imaging to explore how neglect, the social isolation at young age impacts the development of cortical neural circuits in mice. Her presentation will include a comparison with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and her interest in future study, stress coping mechanism, neuroimmunology and further understanding of functional cross talk at synaptic local environment with astrocyte and extracellular matrix.

Biography : Dr. Risa Iguchi earned her B.Sc. in Agro-biological resource science at University of Tsukuba with study of collagen function in developing kidney under the supervision of Prof. Wang Pi-Chao. She earned M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Cellular Neurobiology Prof. Shigeo Okabe lab. at the University of Tokyo in 2021 with study of in vivo dendritic spine imaging of neglect model mice (Iguchi et al, Nat. Neurosci. 2020). Following this, she worked as an assistant professor in the laboratory of Prof. Takayuki Mikuni at Niigata University, contributing developing technologies to visualize endogenous protein and spine activity. In 2023, she expanded her research targeting glial formation and neurogenesis in Dr. Setsuko Sahara's laboratory at CDN, King's College London. Her research passion lies in understanding the mechanisms that drive the development and reconstruction of the brain's neuronal networks involved in sensory processing and cognitive function. Utilizing various techniques including electrophysiology (Tzeng et al., PNAS, 2018) and behavior analysis, she investigates both structural and functional modification ranging from microscopic synapses to macroscopic neural circuits.

References :
Neonatal social isolation increases the proportion of the immature spines in the layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex
Iguchi et al., Neuroscience Research 154 (2020) 27-34
Inflammasome-derived cytokine IL18 suppresses amyloid-induced seizures in Alzheimer-prone mice
Tzeng et al., PNAS 115 (2018) 9002-9007