On November 14, 2024 we spoke with Claudio Punzo on the metabolic interdependence of the retinal pigment epithelium and the photoreceptors of the retina, and its implications for the degenerative process in macular degeneration

Guest:

Claudio Punzo, Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School

Participating:

Erika Tatiana Camacho, Departments of Mathematics and Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

On November 7, 2024 we spoke with Carlos Bassetto about the relationship between molecular structure and functional states of the ion channels that underlie all electrical signals in the nervous system.

Guest:

Carlos Bassetto, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UTSA

Participating:

Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

Neuroscientists Talk Shop: Raju Metherate on nicotine and auditory processing

On October 31, 2024 we spoke with Raju Metherate, on the sites of action of nicotine in the auditory pathway and the mechanism by which it enhances cortical responses to sound.

Guest:

Raju Metherate, Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine

Participating:

Alfonso Apicella, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On October 17, 2024 we talked with Eric Fortune about the electric field sensory system in weakly electric fish and its function in social communication, predation and spatial localization. Eric explained how his collaboration with engineers and application of control systems opened a window on the function of the animal's movement in this sensory system.

Guest:

Eric Fortune, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Participating:

Francesco Savelli, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Todd Troyer, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On October 10, 2024 we met with Ranmal Samarsinghe to talk about the use of cortical assembloids, three-dimensional cultures containing both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. to explore the development and function of the cerebral cortex.

Guest:

Ranmal Samarasinghe, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Participating:

Sara Mirsadegi, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

On September 26, 2024 we spoke with Jones Parker about dopamine receptors, the changes in neuronal activity produced by various antipsychotic drugs, and their relationship to antipsychotic efficacy in humans.

Guest:

Jones Parker, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Participating:

Matt Wanat, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to James Tepper for original music

On September 23, 2024 we met with Andy Groves to discuss the inner ear and hearing loss, why we can't regenerate our auditory receptors, and how we might someday be able to rebuild our auditory epithelium using gene therapy.

Guest:

Andy Groves, Professor and Vivian L Smith Endowed Chair in Neuroscience, Departments of Neuroscience and Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine.

Participating:

Marina Silveira, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On September 12, 2024 we got to talk with Brian Lundstrom about the origin of epilepsy, the use of electrical recordings in its diagnosis, and brain stimulation as a treatment. Brian explained the difficulties of inferring cortical network function from EEG signals, and the problem of studying a disease whose symptoms manifest rarely and intermittently.

Guest:

Brian Lundstrom, Associate Professor in Neurology and Biophysics in the division of Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, in Mayo Clinic

Participating:

Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On September 9, 2024 we got to talk to Marina Silveira about the inferior colliculus, its place in the auditory pathway, and the effort to understand its cellular makeup, internal structure, and auditory functions.

Guest:

Marina Silveira, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music

On August 29, 2024 we spoke with Melanie Carless about cellular models of Alzheimer's disease generated using direct programming of brain cells from fibroblasts derived from patients, which can be used to find epigenetic signatures of the disease.

Guest:

Melanie Carless, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Participating:

Uchit Bhaskar, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

On May 2, 2024 we spoke with Skirmantas Janusonis on the peculiar morphology and spatial distribution of the serotonin innervation of the brain, and his idea that it can be described using the mathematics of fractional Brownian motion. We consider the kind of developmental mechanisms that could be responsible.

Guest:

Skirmantas Janusonis, Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Participating:

Fidel Santamaria, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Host:

Charles Wilson, Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, UTSA

Thanks to Jim Tepper for original music