QBI Seminar: 'Cortical pathology of Huntington's disease in the human brain & Nanoparticle-based sensors for neurobiology'

Event Details

Date:

Monday, 06 August 2018 - Monday, 06 August 2018

Time:

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Room:

QBI Level 7 Auditorium

UQ Location:

Queensland Brain Institute (St Lucia)

URL:

http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au/neuroscience-seminars

Event category(s):

Full Description:: Dr Eric Kim, Northeastern University, Boston, USA

Title: 'Cortical pathology of Huntington's disease in the human brain & Nanoparticle-based sensors for neurobiology'

Abstract:
Part I: The cellular basis of variable symptoms in Huntington's disease (HD) is unclear. One important possibility is that degeneration of pyramidal neurons and interneurons, which together play a major role in modulating cortical output to the basal ganglia, may play a significant role in the development of variable symptomatology in HD. My study aimed to examine whether symptom variability in HD is specifically associated with variable degeneration of cortical neurons.

Part II: Advances in optical probes and imaging methods have enabled entirely new possibilities for studying neural cells and circuits at the chemical level. As part of my postdoctoral studies, I was involved in fabricating and utilising optical nanoscale sensors (fluorescence and MRI) for imaging chemical signaling in the brain, specifically calcium ions, sodium ions, and neurotransmitter acetylcholine.