Description:

Glucocorticoid Regulation of Striatal Dopamine Transmission

Ashley Holloway, PhD Candidate, Lerner lab, Department of Physiology, Northwestern University

Description: Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) exhibit decreased motivation and impairments in reward processing. In MDD, normal circadian rhythms of high and low cortisol are flattened, leading to dysregulated and chronically elevated levels. With my dissertation research, I’ve uncovered a novel mechanism by which chronically elevated corticosterone (the rodent homolog of cortisol) impairs reward-seeking behavior by regulating striatal dopamine homeostasis in mice.

Cellular mechanisms underlying the neurological phenotype associated with PCDH12 variants

Jennifer Rakotomamonjy, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow, Guemez-Gamboa Lab, Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University

Description: Homozygous loss-of-function variants in the PCDH12 gene have been associated with severe neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Despite the highly deleterious outcome resulting from protocadherin (PCDH)12 deficiency, little is known about its role during brain development and disease. In this talk, I will present our findings regarding the pathogenic mechanisms that cause PCDH12-related NDDs using 3D cerebral organoid and 2D iPSC-derived neural progenitor models.

Register here: https://northwestern.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aTuV4X1nQnuuxurMZiP9ng