Victor Rodrigues Santos
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte, Brasil.
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
LECTURE: Molecular and Neuroanatomical Neuroplasticity in Neurogenetic Niches in Experimental Epilepsy Models.
Hippocampal neurogenesis continues throughout life in mammals – including humans. During the development of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), newly-generated hippocampal granule cells integrate abnormally into the brain. Abnormalities include abnormal proliferation, differentiation, ectopic localization of newborn cells, formation of abnormal basal dendrites, disruptions of the apical dendritic tree and mossy fiber sprouting.
Changes in granule cell position, dendritic and axonal structure alter the types of inputs and the circuitry of dentate gyrus. These abnormalities are hypothesized to contribute to the development of epilepsy, and may underlie cognitive disorders associated with the disease as well. One pathway candidate to modulate these abnormalities is the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway. Hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway is associated with numerous neurological diseases, including autism and epilepsy.
In his talk Victor Rodrigues Santos willdemonstrate that deletion of the mTOR negative regulator, PTEN, from a subset of hippocampal dentate granule impairs dendritic patterning, increases excitatory input and decreases inhibitory input.