Grant: Operating Grant

During development the billions of cells that constitute our brain establish circuits through the formation of trillions connections, termed synapses. The circuits allow our brain to think, function, sense -and react to- our external stimuli. To improve our brain functions, these circuits remodel themselves by modifying their synapses. These processes can occur not only in development, but also in adult life. On the other hand, synaptic remodeling can also lead to the destructive changes in circuit connectivity that underlie brain disorders, including degenerative diseases, epilepsy and mental disorders. We have learned a great deal about the molecular processes that underlie constructive (learning) or destructive (disease) changes in brain circuitry, but much about these complex processes remains to be discovered. To learn more about synaptic remodeling, we are studying these processes at the cellular and molecular levels using a neuronal tissue culture model and biophotonics. We use advanced optical imaging approaches to probe molecular interactions inside nerve cells down to their individual synapses. We combine these approaches with monitoring synaptic transmission between neurons in these circuits, in order to link our live optical imaging observations with changes in synaptic transmission. Our research may have a significant impact on our understanding of the fundamental processes of brain function and may help elucidate the mechanisms that lead to alterations in brain circuitry in cognitive diseases.