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  3. 4D Mapping of Network-Specific Pathological Propagation in Alzheimer’s Disease
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
Thesis Defense

4D Mapping of Network-Specific Pathological Propagation in Alzheimer’s Disease

Speaker(s)
Rebecca Canter, Tsai Lab
Add to CalendarAmerica/New_York4D Mapping of Network-Specific Pathological Propagation in Alzheimer’s Disease06/13/2016 4:00 pm06/13/2016 6:00 pmBrain and Cognitive Sciences Complex, 43 Vassar Street, Picower Seminar Room 46-3310, Cambridge MA
June 13, 2016
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location
Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex, 43 Vassar Street, Picower Seminar Room 46-3310, Cambridge MA
Contact
Julianne Gale Ormerod
    Description

    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes a devastating loss of memory and cognition for which there is no cure. Without effective treatments that slow or reverse the course of the disease, the rapidly aging population will require astronomical investment from society to care for the increasing numbers of AD patients. Additionally, the financial and emotional burden on families of affected individuals will be profound. Traditional approaches to the study of AD use either biochemical assays to probe cellular pathophysiology or non-invasive imaging platforms to investigate brain-wide network alterations. Though decades of research using these tools have advanced the field significantly, our increased understanding of AD has not led to successful interventions. One reason for this impediment may be that the tools used in neither approach can achieve the spatial and temporal precision necessary to study the consequences of molecular insults across the brain over time. In this thesis, I capitalize on recent advances in tissue processing technologies to gain a network-level perspective on the molecular and cellular progression of AD. First, I present optimized methods for in situ proteomic phenotyping of large-volume tissue specimens. Then, I use the techniques to map amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates at the whole-brain scale across disease stages in a mouse model of AD. The spatially-unbiased, temporally-precise map demonstrates hierarchical susceptibility of increasingly large, memory-related brain networks to Aβ deposition. Importantly, the 4D nature of the map reveals that subcortical nodes and white matter tracts of the Papez memory circuit exhibit unique, early vulnerability to Aβ aggregates. Finally, using large-volume labeling approaches, I confirm the molecular findings by showing disease-specific Aβ aggregation in human samples from the early hub regions. Together, this data unites desperate observations of network-level deficits and identifies critical locations of early Aβ deposition in the brain. By linking molecular and network observations, I begin to provide biological explanations for the clinical manifestation of AD. This perspective can guide earlier patient identification and refine experimental approaches to developing cognitively efficacious treatments. These discoveries emphasize the necessity of multi-level investigations in neuroscience research and highlight the potential impacts of tools that enable researchers to bridge the gap.

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    The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

    Neuroblox Invited Talks & Discussions: New Ideas in Translational Neuroscience

    9:00am to 1:00pm
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    Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)

    Raul Mojica Soto-Albors Thesis Defense: Discovery and characterization of plateau potentials in cortical neurons of awake mice

    2:00pm
    Add to CalendarAmerica/New_YorkRaul Mojica Soto-Albors Thesis Defense: Discovery and characterization of plateau potentials in cortical neurons of awake mice07/10/2025 2:00 pm07/10/2025 2:00 pmBuilding 46,Singleton, 46-3002
    Jul
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    11
    Simons Center for the Social Brain

    Special Seminar with Dr. Balázs Rózsa: Real-Time 3D Imaging and Photostimulation in Freely Moving Animals: A Novel Approach Using Robotic Acousto-Optical Microscopy

    3:00pm to 4:00pm
    Add to CalendarAmerica/New_YorkSpecial Seminar with Dr. Balázs Rózsa: Real-Time 3D Imaging and Photostimulation in Freely Moving Animals: A Novel Approach Using Robotic Acousto-Optical Microscopy07/11/2025 3:00 pm07/11/2025 4:00 pmBuilding 46,46-3310
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