Changes in inhibitory/excitatory connectivity and neural network dynamics in a model of autism


Speaker: Peyman Golshani, M.D., Ph.D.
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

Date: April 12, 2017

Talk title: Changes in inhibitory/excitatory connectivity and neural network dynamics in a model of autism

Abstract: A large number of genetic changes have been associated with autism and intellectual disability but how these change alter cortical circuits and neural network dynamics are not understood. We show that there are dramatic alterations in the excitatory and inhibitory connectivity in the mPFC of the CNTNAP2 model of autism and show how these changes correlate with altered oscillatory dynamics in-vivo. We have also developed a new generation of open-source miniature microscopes with wireless capability which will facilitate the study of neural network dynamics during social interactions in mouse models of autism.