BIO/NSCI SEMINAR: “Stop and Go Signals for Remodeling the Nervous System”, David M. Miller, PhD, Vanderbilt University

The brain actively responds to stimuli by remodeling circuits. Of equal importance to this plasticity, is the simultaneous maintenance of synapses that embody key memories and functions. Despite the salience of this choice, the mechanisms that govern synaptic stability are largely unknown. To address this mystery, we are using C. elegans, a model organism with a simple nervous system and powerful genetic tools, to uncover pathways that either promote or block synaptic remodeling. This approach has revealed evolutionarily conserved molecules including transcription factors, ion channels and secreted proteins that govern synaptic change.
(Lunch available at 12:15pm)

Sponsored by the Department of Biology, and Program in Neuroscience. Visit www.middlebury.edu/academics/bio