Neuroscience Seminar Series : 
Friday, November 13th, 2015 at 11:30 am,
Salle des Conférences (R229), Centre Universitaire des Saints-Pères, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris
Baljit Khakh, Professor, Department of Physology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
Title: *Astrocyte dysfunction in neural circuits: focus on Huntington?s
disease*
Brief description: We will report the detailed exploration of how early
onset astrocyte dysfunction, without any evidence of accompanying
astrogliosis, drives disease in mouse models of Huntington?s disease (HD).
The cellular mechanisms involve dysfunctional homeostasis and signaling
mediated by Kir4.1, Glt1 and Ca2+. Our data directly show that the rules
for astrocyte engagement in a neuronal circuit are altered in a brain
disease caused by a known molecular defect, and that fixing early onset
astrocyte dysfunction can remedy cellular deficits. Overall, our data show
that key aspects of altered neuronal excitability and cortico-striatal
synapses associated with HD are secondary to dysfunctional
astrocyte-mediated homeostasis and signaling, thereby providing details of
a new striatal microcircuit mechanism in HD. The data show that prodromal
changes in astrocytes represent novel therapeutic targets in brain
disorders.