Professor Yves De Koninck - CERVO Brain Research Centre, Canada: "Chloride homeostasis as a dynamic regulator of excitability and synaptic plasticity; from health to disease"
Speaker:
Professor Yves De Koninck
CERVO Brain Research Centre
France
Title: "Chloride homeostasis as a dynamic regulator of excitability and synaptic plasticity; from health to disease"
I will discuss how GABAA/glycine-mediated inhibition shapes many aspects of information processing, from segregation of inputs to short and long-term plasticity. Yet, the strength of this form of inhibition depends on intracellular Cl- concentration, which is mainly regulated by the K-Cl-cotransporter KCC2 in the adult central nervous system. We have found a heterogeneity in Cl- homeostasis among neurons, which represents a substrate of metaplasticity as well as determining the level of crosstalk between sensory modalities. I will show that, in turn, the regulator is itself regulated: heterogeneous Cl- homeostasis result from modulation of KCC2 expression and function via both inter- and intra-cellular signaling mechanisms, yielding multiple forms and spatiotemporal scales of plasticit and helps explain several unintuitive aspects of the complex experience of normal and abnormal (pathological) pain, with applications to other brain disorders, including drug dependence and neurodegenerative diseases.
About Neuroscience Seminars
Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.
Seminars in the QBI Auditorium are held on Wednesdays at 12-1pm, which are sometimes simulcast on Zoom (with approval from the speaker). We also occassionally hold seminars from international speakers via Zoom. The days and times of these seminars will vary depending on the time zone of the speaker. Please see each seminar listed below for details.
