TSVP Talk: "Modeling Neuron-Astrocyte Interactions in the Brain" by Dr. Kerstin Lenk

Dr. Kerstin Lenk is visiting OIST from 2022/07/18 until 2022/08/18 through the "Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program" (TSVP). Find out more about the TSVP in this news article or the program website.
This seminar intended for a general audience and the research will be presented in an accessible manner. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to ask questions after the talk. Guests from outside OIST can join via Zoom.

Title: Modeling Neuron-Astrocyte Interactions in the Brain

Abstract: Astrocytes, a type of glial cells in the brain, are actively involved in neuronal information processing and memory formation. Using computational and in vitro models, we investigate the tight interaction of neurons and astrocytes. In diseases like epilepsy and schizophrenia, for example, the uptake and release of neurotransmitters, the ion exchange, and the astrocyte morphology are altered. With the aid of our models, we investigate those aspects on several temporal and spatial levels.

Profile: Kerstin Lenk is an assistant professor of Computational Neuroscience at the Graz University of Technology in Austria. She has received a PhD in Computer Science from the Clausthal University of Technology in Germany. Her group focuses on the development of computational single-cell astrocyte and neuron-astrocyte network models in healthy conditions and pathologies like epilepsy and schizophrenia.

Language: English, no interpretation.

Target audience: General audience / everyone at OIST and beyond.
Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration.

This talk will also be broadcast online via Zoom:

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Meeting ID: 988 7704 2238
Passcode: 013100