Pyramidal neurons are the most common type of excitatory cells in neortical regions and hippocampus. The ability to modulate pyramidal neuron function in response to behavioral state or as a long-term response to prior activation as a mechanism of learning emphasize their crucial role in the proper functioning of the brain. Their abundance in cortical regions also suggest that their proper function is essential for cognitive processes and their dysfunction might lead to cognitive impairents, associated with disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease and schizophrenia. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand their function as a single cell to understand the network response properties of cortex and hippocampus. This talk will focus on (1) action potential generation in cortical pyramidal neurons and how to simulate them, and (2) hippocampal pyramidal neuron morphology and function in neurodegenerative diseases and how to design in vitro models of pyramidal neuron degeneration.
Biography
BS (2002-2006), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey; MSc (2006-2007), International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences, Göttingen, Germany; PhD (2007-2011), International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and University Medicine, Göttingen, Germany); Post-doctoral Research (2011-2012), Theoretical Neurophysics Group, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany, (2012-current), Cellular Imaging and Electrophysiology Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey.