Decoding the Molecular Regulators of Synaptic Integrity

2016
Melanie A. Samuel, Ph.D.

2016 Seed Grant
Melanie A. Samuel, Ph.D.
Baylor College of Medicine

This study addresses a critical biological and biomedical problem, molecular control of synaptic reprogramming. Our goals are to dissect the pathways that control how neurons alter connections with synaptic partners using new technical strategies to see and analyze single synapses as they restructure. Results from this study will identify new basic mechanisms that regulate adult synaptic integrity and define molecular targets for repairing nervous system injury.

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Other Grants

Brain Research Foundation
Rebekah C. Evans, Ph.D., Georgetown University
In Vivo and Ex Vivo Dissection of Midbrain Neuron Activity During Exercise
Exercise is important for the health of the body and the mind. Exercise promotes learning and reduces symptoms of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it…
Brain Research Foundation
William J. Giardino, Ph.D. Stanford University
Deciphering the Neuropeptide Circuitry of Emotional Arousal in Narcolepsy
This research project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of a specific type of brain cell called neuropeptide neurons within a region of the brain’s amygdala network called the bed…
Brain Research Foundation
Howard Gritton, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Attention Mechanisms Contributing to Auditory Spatial Processing.
Our world is composed of a rich mixture of sounds. We often process sounds including speech in the presence of many other competing auditory stimuli (e.g., voices in a crowded…
Brain Research Foundation
Nora Kory, Ph.D., Harvard University
Elucidating the Fates and Functions of Lactate in the Brain
The human brain requires significant energy to function. Despite accounting for only 2% of our body weight, the brain consumes a substantial 20% of the body’s energy, relying on a…