Speaker: Prof. Dr. Federico Calegari, DFG Regenerative Center Dresden
Title: Giving the Brain More Neurons: From the Womb to the Grave
Host: Dr. Kentaroh Takagaki/ Prof. Dr. Frank Ohl (LIN)
Abstract:
Giving the Brain More Neurons: From the Womb to the Grave
My group has found that the length of the G1 phase of the cell cycle influences the fate of somatic stem cells. This allowed us to promote the expansion of neural stem cells during development [1] and adulthood [2] and ultimately increase the number of neurons generated in the mammalian brain. This finding was important to reveal the contribution of specific progenitor types in cortical expansion and gyrification during evolution [3] and the role of adult neurogenesis in promoting the processing of sensory information [4] and cognitive performance [5] throughout life. Our ambition is to understand how tuning the number of neurons in specific brain areas can improve brain function, hence, gain insights into the basis of cognition.
- Lange et al., Cell Stem Cell, 2009
- Artegiani et al., J Exp Med, 2011
- Nonaka-Kinoshita et al., EMBO J, 2013
- Bragado Alonso et al., EMBO J, 2019
- Will be presented
