QUANTITATIVE LIFE SCIENCES SEMINAR - 9 February 2015

Quantitative Life Sciences qls at ictp.it
Tue Jan 20 13:13:20 CET 2015


   Monday, 9 February - 11:00 a.m.

Luigi Stasi Seminar Room,
ICTP Leonardo Building (first floor)


Graciela L. Mazzone

International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA)
National Scientific and Technical Research Council - Argentina (CONICET)


"Experimental spinal cord damage in vitro:  From molecular mechanism of 
pharmacological neuroprotection to modelling studies"


Abstract

Full understanding of the complex mechanisms that lead to neuronal death 
after a spinal cord lesion is important to devise neuroprotective 
treatments. Amongst the factors proposed to strongly contribute to 
neuronal loss is the substantially raised concentration of extracellular 
glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter, evoked by excitotoxic 
damage. This process is thought to be linked to the onset of the 
secondary injury that can amplify the initial damage to distant areas of 
the spinal cord.
At SISSA, Trieste, a model that mimics the early pathological processes 
caused by traumatic injury has recently been developed to follow up its 
time-dependent evolution. This model allowed us to demonstrate that 
excitotoxicity-induced by the glutamate primarily destroyed neurons via 
a process slowly developing over a few hours. However, the 
neuroprotection strategies with several inhibitors of cell death 
pathways have been disappointing in terms of histological and functional 
outcome, thus pointing to additional death mechanisms. During my 
presentation I will discuss: 1. the main cell targets essential for 
locomotor patterns upon this pathological condition; 2. use of 
pharmacological drugs to protect against damage; 3. the endogenous 
neuroprogenitor cell proliferation induced by a pathological condition; 
4. the early biomarkers to follow the progression; 5. importance of cell 
death spatio-temporal dynamic map to follow topographical and 
topological extension with an impact on locomotor function. 6. The 
surprising non-linear relation between neuronal death and locomotor 
network output. Using a multidisciplinary approach, new data can be 
obtained with high translational value for in vivo or clinical studies 
in the spinal cord field, and is a subject that will benefit from 
tailor-made modelling with predictive value for further scientific inquiry.

-- 
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste,  Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
e-mail: qls at ictp.it

-- 
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste,  Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
e-mail:qls at ictp.it  



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