Neuro@Noon

Friday, 02 June, 2023
12:00 pm - 01:00 pm

Neuro@Noon, the interdisciplinary Neuroscience Journal Club at Saint Louis University, will be held June 2, 2022, at noon in Schwitalla Conference Room M360.  Dr. Silvia Squillace will present an article published in Neuron entitled:

“Astrocytic Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction determines adult neurogenesis and cognitive functions.” 

In studies performed on mice, the authors first demonstrate colocalization of the mechanosensitive protein Piezo1 in a subset of the brain’s glia cells called astrocytes.  In functional brain slices, mechanically poking the membrane of astrocytes evoking Ca⁺⁺ influx into those cells and ATP release from those cells.  As compared to control mice, adult mice lacking Piezo1 in their astrocytes exhibited a striking reduction of the volume and weight of a brain region called the hippocampus.  Piezo1-deficient mice also showed impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation and learning and memory behaviors. These results suggest that astrocytes with the Piezo1 protein may play an important role in brain structure and function.

Neuro@Noon is affiliated with the Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

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