Events
O xoves 23 de outubro ás 11:00 horas teremos a oportunidade de coñecer o traballo de Ana Covelo, do Grupo Neurocircuits (CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo), que impartirá a charla "Astrocyte-Neuron crosstalk in the brain reward system" dentro do ciclo "Coñece ao #teamCINBIO".
Será de xeito presencial na Sala de seminarios da Torre CACTI.
ABSTRACT:
The brain reward system is critical for the correct processing of relevant emotional information being involved in positive and negative reinforcement. The Nucleus Accumbens (NAc), a key brain region in this system, is essential for the recognition of rewards and is a primary target for psychostimulants such as amphetamine. Astrocytes have been historically considered passive and supportive cells, but in the last two decades astrocytes have emerged as relevant cells in synaptic function, being active players of the tripartite synapse. They respond to neurotransmitters with intracellular calcium increases and release gliotransmitters that activate neuronal receptors to modulate neuronal activity, synaptic transmission and animal behaviour. This talk will explore how astrocytes regulate short- and long-term synaptic plasticity in the NAc as well as the behavioral responses to amphetamine.
BIO:
I started my PhD in 2011 in the Cajal Institute under the supervision of Dr. Alfonso Araque studying the role of astrocytes in hippocampal short- and long-term synaptic plasticity. In 2014 I moved with Dr. Araque to the University of Minnesota where I completed my PhD (2015) and stayed as a postdoc. During this postdoc period I gained interest in the role of astrocytes in the brain reward system. In 2019, I joined the lab of Dr. Giovanni Marsicano at the Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaos thanks to a human frontiers postdoctoral fellowship and a Narsad grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. During this period, I studied astrocyte-neuron communication through endocannabinoid signaling in the brain reward system. Recently, I got a Ramón y Cajal contract and I am currently starting my own lab at the University of Vigo.
