Specification of Brainstem Neurons & the Central Control of Breathing

Specification of Brainstem Neurons & the Central Control of Breathing

Speaker: Dr. Luis Rodrigo Hemandez-Miranda

Time: May 12th(Monday)16:00 Teaching Demonstration

May 13th(Tuesday) 14:30 Research Presentation Venue: CSMT 121

Abstract:

An astonishing feature of the mature brainstem is the remarkable diversity of neuron types that make up this ancient brain structure. These neurons play a critical role in processing multiple sensory modalities and in controlling vital functions essential for maintaining bodily homeostasis -such as the neural circuits that regulate breathing. However, how this neuronal diversity arises during development, and how it contributes to specific functional circuits, remains largely unknown.

In this talk, I will present our genetic identification of distinct medullary neuron populations involved in:

i) the coordination of breathing and vocalization,

ii) the hypercapnic reflex--a natural response that increases breathing in response to elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood, and

iii) a previously undescribed group of medullary neurons that are essential for neonatal ventilatory control,respiratory stability,and respiratory rate.

I will also share our findings on gene mutations underlying congenital central hypoventilation. Finally, I will discuss the selector roles of the transcription factors Lbx1 and Olig3 in specifying defined brainstem neuronal lineages.

Biography:

·Principal investigator and head of the Brainstem Research Group at the Institut fur Zell-und Neurobiologie. Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany. Rank top 1 in the medical field in Germany

·Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London. United Kingdom. Ranked top 1 in the United Kingdom

·Research fields: Brainstem control of respiration, Brainstem and cerebellar development

Main Publications:

·Genetic identification of a hindbrain nucleus essential for innate vocalization, PNAS (2017).

·Loss of a mammalian circular RNA locus causes miRNA deregulation and affects brain function, Science (2017)

·Mutations in Disordered Regions Can Cause Disease by Creating Dileucine Motifs, Cell(2018)

·Mutation in LBX1/Lbx1 precludes transcription factor cooperativity and causes congenital hypoventilation in humans and mice. PNAS (2018)

·Genetic identification of medullary neurons underlying congenital hypoventilation, Sci.adv. (2024)