Weill Neurohub (a research center spanning UCSF, UC Berkeley, and University of Washington) is launching a monthly, public-facing seminar series, focusing on two different research perspectives on one neurological condition. The seminars are from Noon to 1pm (PST), on the first Friday of every month. 

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Friday, October 2nd | Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Featuring Professors Daniela Kaufer (UC Berkeley) and Susanna Rosi (UCSF)

Dr. Kaufer's lab studies, among other topics, the mechanisms of epileptogenesis that follow traumatic brain injury and precede the onset of clinical epilepsy. Her lab has demonstrated that disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), as occurs after head injury, is a major precipitating event in triggering epileptogenesis: albumin, a major component of the blood, enters the brain during BBB dysfunction, and activates the TGF-β signaling pathway in astrocytes, triggering a regulatory cascade that modulates inflammation and neuroexcitability. Blocking albumin from binding to and activating the TGF-β receptor prevents subsequent epileptiform activity and onset of spontaneous seizures. We are currently investigating the mechanistic details by which TGF-β signaling contributes to epileptogenesis, via its affects on adult neural stem cells, neurons and glia, as well as translating our findings towards the clinical context by investigating the efficacy of drugs that block the TGF-β receptor.

Dr. Rosi's lab is focused on elucidating how injury-induced alterations in integrated stress response, innate immune response, post transcription/translational modifications, and chronic neuroinflammation affect various neural processes underlying cognitive function. Her lab employs multiple injury models: focal contusion injury with the controlled cortical impact (CCI), diffuse head injury with head fixed close head injury (CHI) model, repetitive head injury with the Closed-Head Impact Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration (CHIMERA), therapeutic cranial γ-irradiation and ionizing space radiation. The ultimate goal of her work is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the cognitive dysfunction to identify diagnostic tools for treatment and prevention.

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Next upcoming seminar: Friday, November 6: Alzheimer's disease

Use this link to add all instantiations of the seminar series to your calendar.