Bal Khakh, PhD Professor Departments of Physiology & Neurobiology University of California, Los Angeles

presents, “Astrocytes in neural circuits: Form, Function and Failure”
Hosted by:  Dr. Joe Dougherty
In-person only:  Connor Auditorium (FLTC)

Abstract:

The study of the brain, a highly complex multicellular organ, has witnessed spectacular advances in the last few decades. Despite this laudable progress, severe blind spots in our understanding of basic brain function and disease still remain. Khakh will describe a series of studies from his laboratory that provide new insights on predominant glial cells called astrocytes, named historically because of their alluring, yet deceptively simple star-like shapes. He will tackle long-standing questions in neuroscience concerning the functions of astrocytes in the brain. It is now clear that signaling between diverse astrocytes and neurons plays pivotal roles in normal brain function and during failures in disease.