Visiting Speakers

Shanghong Xie, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Department of Biostatistics
Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University

 Jan 14, 2021 @ 3:30 p.m.

Biomarkers are often organized into networks of connected regions. The biomarker networks measured by different modalities of data (e.g., structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)) may share the same underlying biological model. In addition, substantial heterogeneity in networks between individuals and subgroups of individuals is observed. In this talk, I will present a node-wise biomarker graphical model to leverage the shared mechanism between multi-modality data to provide a more reliable estimation of the target modality network and account for the heterogeneity in networks due to differences between subjects and networks of external modality. Latent variables are introduced to represent the shared unobserved biological network and the information from the external modality is incorporated to model the distribution of the underlying biological network. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by extensive simulation studies and an application to construct gray matter brain atrophy network of Huntington’s disease by using sMRI data and DTI data. The identified network connections are used as new features to improve prediction in follow-up clinical outcomes and separate subjects into clinically meaningful subgroups with different prognosis. I will also discuss other methods and applications in the end.

Host: Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology
Del Monte Neuroscience Institute

Dwight Bergles, Ph.D. - The Soloman H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute

 Jan 25, 2021 @ 4:00 p.m.

Neural pathways that process sensory information rely on both genetically preprogrammed events and active refinement to establish proper connectivity. Remarkably, active processes begin prior to the onset of sensory experience, when neurons fire spontaneous periodic bursts of action potentials. This highly stereotyped, intrinsically generated activity promotes neuronal survival, maturation and initial refinement of their connections. In the auditory system, spontaneous activity arises within the cochlea prior to hearing onset. During this critical developmental stage, glia-like supporting cells that surround inner hair cells spontaneously release ATP, triggering a cascade of events that ultimately results in hair cell depolarization, glutamate release and bursts of activity in groups of auditory neurons that will ultimately process similar frequencies of sound. We used electrophysiological recordings in isolated cochleae and in vivo imaging of auditory neuron activity from pre-hearing mice to uncover the complex molecular steps used to activate hair cells before hearing onset and the macroscopic patterns of activity exhibited by auditory neurons before hearing begins. I will discuss how glial cells control hair cell activity to promote correlated activity of neurons and astrocytes in this developing sensory system.

Host: Neuroscience Graduate Program

M. Natalia Vergara, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Director, Ocular Development and Translational Technologies Laboratory CellSight Ocular Stem Cell and Regeneration Program
Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center
Univ. Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

 Apr 19, 2021 @ 4:00 p.m.

Host: The Neuroscience Graduate Program

Thomas Msric-Flogel - Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
Professor of Neuroscience
The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London UK

 Apr 29, 2021 @ 12:00 p.m.

Host: Univ. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dept. Neuroscience, and Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience

Dr. Adriana DiPolo - Professor and Chair, Neuroscience & Ophthalmology; Canada Research in Glaucoma and Age-Related Neurogenesis, Univ. Montreal

 Nov 01, 2021 @ 4:00 p.m.

​Abstract:  Retinal ganglion cells (RGC), the neurons that die in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies, are extremely vulnerable to stress stimuli, notably ocular hypertension.  Recent data suggest that metabolic stress and energy deficits is a common underlying theme driving RGC damage and dysfunction in glaucoma.  In this talk, I will discuss pathological RGC responses related to metablic stress including: i) dendritic reaction and synaptic loss, ii) dysfunctional mitochondrial transport, and iii) loss of neurovascular coupling.  I will present strategies that boost these processes and have beneficial effects for RGC regeneration, survival, and functional restoration of vision.

Dr. Adriana Di Polo's laboratory focuses on the pathobiology of retinal ganglion cells, the neurons that convey visual information from the retina to the brain via their axons in the optic nerve. Loss of vision in glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, is caused by the death of retinal ganglion cells. At present, there is no cure for glaucoma and current treatments are often insufficient to stop disease progression. We seek to understand the mechanisms underlying retinal ganglion cell death and to develop novel therapeutics to preserve and restore vision.

Student Moderator:  Kate Andersh

Host: Univ. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry The Neuroscience Graduate Program