Neuroscientists Talk Shop

On September 12, 2024 we got to talk with Brian Lundstrom about the origin of epilepsy, the use of electrical recordings in its diagnosis, and brain stimulation as a treatment. Brian explained the difficulties of inferring cortical network function from EEG signals, and the problem of studying a disease whose symptoms manifest rarely and intermittently.

Guest:

Brian Lundstrom, Associate Professor in Neurology and Biophysics in the division of Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, in Mayo Clinic

Participating:

Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On September 9, 2024 we got to talk to Marina Silveira about the inferior colliculus, its place in the auditory pathway, and the effort to understand its cellular makeup, internal structure, and auditory functions.

Guest:

Marina Silveira, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On August 29, 2024 we spoke with Melanie Carless about cellular models of Alzheimer's disease generated using direct programming of brain cells from fibroblasts derived from patients, which can be used to find epigenetic signatures of the disease.

Guest:

Melanie Carless, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Participating:

Uchit Bhaskar, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

On May 2, 2024 we spoke with Skirmantas Janusonis on the peculiar morphology and spatial distribution of the serotonin innervation of the brain, and his idea that it can be described using the mathematics of fractional Brownian motion. We consider the kind of developmental mechanisms that could be responsible.

Guest:

Skirmantas Janusonis, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Participating:

Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On April 25, 2024, we met with the 5 speakers for this year's Annual Neuroscience Symposium at UTSA to discuss epigenetics and nervous system development. We discussed the best known molecular mechanisms that control patterns of gene expression and current limitations faced in studies of those mechanisms. We also discussed the promise of epigenetics to explain the differentiation of nervous system cell types, mechanisms of developmental, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

Guests:

Melanie Carless, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Christine Ladd-Acosta, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Paulino Ramirez, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio

Alexey Soshnev, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Hehuang "David" Xie, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On April 18, 2024 we spoke with Nancy Philp about the blood supply to the retina and the cells and membrane transporters that deliver glucose and lactate to photoreceptors and other cells for glycolytic and aerobic metabolism.

Guest:

Nancy Philp, Professor, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical School, Thomas Jefferson University

Participating:

Erica Tatiana Camacho, Departments of Mathematics and Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On April 4, 2024 we had a chance to talk to Kara Marshall about the membrane protein PIEZO2, which is responsible for sensory transduction of many of the mechanical senses, including light touch, vibration, and proprioception. We especially focused on its function in sensing internal pressure and movement, including bladder pressure and blood pressure.

Guest:

Kara Marshall, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine

Participating:

Lindsey Macpherson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On March 21, 2024, we spoke with Dennis Sparta on the complexity of brain circuitry and strategies for dissecting out the contributions of different brain areas engaged in reward and in alcohol use.

Guest:

Dennis Sparta, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago.

Participating:

Marina Silveira, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Matt Wanat, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On March 7, 2024, we were joined by Lynn Dobrunz to talk about brain circuits underlying anxiety and PTSD, and the role of neuropeptide Y modulation of glutamate transmission in the hippocampus and amygdala.

Guest:

Lynn Dobrunz, who is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and Director of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis.

Participating:

Marina Silveira, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On February 29, 2024 we got to talk to Dwight Bergles about the cellular mechanism that generates spontaneous activity in auditory receptors before the onset of hearing, and the function of that activity in development of appropriate circuitry throughout the auditory pathway.

Guest:

Dwight Bergles,Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, and Otolaryrngology-Head & Neck Surgery, and the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Participating:

Marina Silveira, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music