19 января 2010 года, в 11:00

на кафедре высшей нервной деятельности в аудитории 38 (главное здание СПбГУ)

Университетская наб.7/9 (вход с Менделеевской линии)

состоится семинар, организованный

TEMPUS Postgraduate Training Network

in Biotechnology of Neurosciences (BioN).

Тема семинара:

The role of extracellular matrix molecules in synaptic transmission, plasticity and learning

Докладчик:

Alexander Dityatev, Ph.D.
Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies
The Italian Institute of Technology
Via Morego, 30 16163 Genova, Italy
alexander.dityatev@iit.it

http://www.iit.it/en/home.html

Резюме

Extracellular matrix (ECM) in the brain is composed of molecules synthesized and secreted by neurons and glial cells in a cell type-specific and activity-dependent manner. During development, ECM plays crucial roles in proliferation, migration and differentiation of neural cells. In the mature brain, ECM regulates different forms of plasticity, such as developmental plasticity in the cortex, long-term potentiation and depression in the hippocampus, homeostatic scaling of synaptic transmission and metaplasticity. This seminar is to exemplify the ongoing research in the ECM field by highlighting functions of ECM glycoprotein tenascin-R and to review the mechanisms by which other ECM molecules regulate formation, maturation and function of synapses.

Организатор:

Шестакова Анна, anna.shestakova@cbru.helsinki.fi,  +79119925519  +79119925519

11.00 - 13.00. Lecture of Leonard Khirug, Ph.D., Group Leader
Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki

"Scientific writing: an example of the article preparation for a peer-reviewed journal"

In this lecture, the common layout of a scientific peer-reviewed paper will be presented and discussed. We will start by focussing on the central message and continue by talking about developing the paper's outline, preparing figures and tables, writing the first draft, Results, Discussion and, finally, the Abstract. As an example, a paper recently published by our group will be described in detail.

Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia, Main University Building, Universitetskaja nab.7/9,  Auditorium 38

khiroug-sci-wri08.pdf ( 638 Kb )  

On the 4th of October, 2007, Dr. Anna Shestakova from the CBRU, Finland gave a lecture upon applications of Near- infrared spectroscopy (also known as Diffuse Optical Topography or Optical Imaging) in Cognitive Neuroscience. Please, see the Microsoft PP slides attached. The experimental data were collected in the UCL, UK.

NIRS_Saint_Petersburg_1_okt_2007.pdf ( 4116 Kb )

Dear All, on teh 16th of May Dr. Elvira Brattico  from the Cognitive Brain Research Unit will give a talk entitled The specialized and plastic brain for music in Auditorium 38, Faculty of Biology at the Department of Higher Nervous Activity and Psychophysiology. Highly recommended!!!!!

Here is a summary

Music is experienced, performed and appreciated by people in all societies, ages and social roups. Lately, researchers have used state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to study the neural bases of music function, hence initiating the young research field of cognitive neuroscience of music. In
this presentation, the most important topics in this field will be introduced. First, I will illustrate the modular view of a brain specialized for music processing, grounded on empirical evidence of acquired and congenital amusia. Then, I will present results leading to opposite or complementary views of music processing as not relying on fixed neural structures but rather activating, in a plastic and modifiable way, several parts of the brain

StPbU_Semyanov.pdf ( 1729 Kb )

Time and date   3 pm, Wednesday  07.02. 2007 

Professor Alexey Semyanov semyanov@brain.riken.jp

RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan and Nizhny Novgorod University, Russia

will give a talk  entitled

Extrasynaptic signaling in the brain mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors

Venue: State University of Saint-Petersburg, Russia, Main University Building, Universitetskaja nab.7/9,  Auditorium 133

 

Abstract: Glutamate action as neurotransmitter is not confined to the synaptic cleft. Large variety of glutamate receptors have been found extrasynaptically in different neuronal and astrocytic compartments.

We  have found that axonal kainate receptors can increase a probability of antidromic action potential generation and even cause appearance of ectopic action potentials in hippocampal interneurons. The effect of exogenous agonist application has been also mimicked by synaptically released glutamate. Somato-dendritic extrasynaptic receptors are likely to influence integration of synaptic inputs, synaptic gain and coincidence detection. Using two photon calcium imaging (Fig.1) we have discovered that tonically glutamate pre-bound extrasynaptic NMDA receptors can enhance calcium transients in dendrites and thus influence signal processing.

Glutamate receptors have also been found in astrocytes. They may be involved in neuron-glia communication. These receptors induce calcium response and may affect some of astrocytic functions.

While extrasynaptic glutamate receptors have been discussed in number of recent publications the source of ambient glutamate is still a subject for further investigation. The classical view that glutamate escapes from synaptic cleft is being challenged with finding that astrocytes can also release glutamate in calcium dependent manner.

e have recorded calcium dependent fluorescent transients in astrocytes of hippocampal slices loaded with calcium indicators and simulated astrocytic network with realistic parameters of activity (Fig.2). The calcium transients were linked to the release of glutamate. In addition to astrocytic network the model comprised of neuronal circuit. Astrocytic and neuronal networks were arranged in two-layers in a way that diffuse signal from neighboring astrocytes can change a probability of the neuron to fire an action potential in response to synaptic input.

We have followed the signal propagation from neuron to neuron and monitored the output of distant cell in the network. This model of neuron-astrocyte interaction has shown that the diffuse pattern formed by astrocytic network can effectively control the signal propagation within the neuronal circuit and therefore information processing in the brain.