Understanding Connections between CNS Cellular Heterogeneity and Disease: Insights from Molecular Profiling and Genetic Screening in the CNS
Description
It has been appreciated for over a century that the mammalian brain is composed of hundreds of distinct cell types. However, in spite of extensive knowledge regarding the basis of differential neuronal form and function, it is not yet well understood how these neuronal differences predispose particular neurons to differential vulnerability in even the most common neurodegenerative diseases. In this seminar, I will discuss our efforts to characterize specific classes of CNS neurons at the molecular level, and to utilize this information to understand their dysfunction in the context of neurodegenerative disease.
Speaker Bio
Myriam Heiman received a B.A. in molecular biology from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in biology from the Johns Hopkins University. She received her post-doctoral training at the Rockefeller University, working with Dr. Paul Greengard and Dr. Nathaniel Heintz. In 2011 she started her research group at MIT and the Picower and Broad Institutes.