Title: One (autism-associated) gene and its many functions in the development of a neural circuit architecture and function

Date: 21st May 2021 (Friday)

Time: 12:00 pm (Central European Summer Time)

Host: prof. Joanna Trylska

Virtual seminar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87447574061

Meeting ID: 874 4757 4061

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Abstract:

The brain consists of interconnected neural loops whose developmental impairments can cause mental disorders. The structural and functional development of the brain circuitry is a multistep and multifaceted process that takes weeks in mice and years in humans. Transcription regulation of brain maturation, especially early life development, is poorly understood in vertebrates. In this seminar, I will discuss our recent work on mechanisms that control axonogenesis and terminal differentiation of neurons in the thalamocortical circuit. I will show that the TCF7L2 transcription factor in the thalamus maintains regional transcriptional network during morphological differentiation, and induce terminal maturation of neurons postnatally. These data corroborate the existence of master regulators in the vertebrate brain which play a role similar to that of terminal selectors in the invertebrate nervous system. I will also show that a postnatal knockout of the Tcf7l2 gene has electrophysiological and behavioural consequences in adult mice. Because TCF7L2 has been repeatedly associated with psychiatric conditions and thalamocortical dysconnectivity are commonly identified endophenotypes in psychiatric research, I will also discuss implications of our findings for understanding the aetiology of mental disorders and state questions of future research.