Projects
Analyzing the regulation of synaptic vesicle mobility by pre-synaptic liquid phase-separation in health and disease KU Leuven
Tauopathies are characterised by accumulation of Tau protein in the neurons which causes synaptic dysfunction and synapse loss, and consequently neuronal death. Recent studies show synaptic loss occurs earlier than neuronal death in the progression of the neurodegenerative disorders and its contribution to the pathophysiology of the disease will be important to investigate. Previously the Verstreken lab showed that pathogenic Tau protein ...
Synaptic Dysfuntion mediated by Alzheimer's disease-relevant Microglia (SynDAM). University of Antwerp
Synpases in Action: From high-throughput fluorescence imaging assays of synaptic function to drug discovery. University of Antwerp
CYFIP1-pathies: shared pathways in intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders. KU Leuven
Dissecting the role of GPR158 in thalamocortical circuit assembly and function KU Leuven
The brain is a highly heterogeneous tissue, composed of many neuronal cell types that communicate through even more diverse types of synapses. This cell- and synapse-type diversity is critical for the proper function of neural circuits, but poses a major challenge for elucidating the molecular mechanisms regulating the connectivity, plasticity and maintenance of synapses. Recent work from our lab has identified the largely uncharacterized G ...
Glypicans as novel regulators of synaptic connectivity KU Leuven
The function of neural circuits depends on precise patterns of connectivity and the properties of synaptic transmission at specific synapses. The hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) synapse, which connects dentate gyrus granule cells with CA3 neurons, is a major information processing pathway and presents unique structural and functional properties. The molecular mechanisms governing MF synapse development and its specific structural-functional ...
Tau-dependent synaptic remodeling in health and disease KU Leuven
Tau is a neuronal microtubule-associated protein under normal conditions. However, stressful triggers like toxic protein aggregates or traumatic brain injury can cause its detachment and invasion of synaptic terminals, leading to synapse loss. Interestingly, cold stress-induced torpor in hamsters also results in Tau detachment and massive synapse loss, indicating that Tau may be responsible for executing stress signals that cause synapses to ...
Temporal and spatial control of synaptic patterning: from basic mechanisms to human-specific innovations and diseases KU Leuven
Neurons connect to each other through so-called synapses, which stand at the core of brain function. How nerve cells connect to each other appropriately during development is of paramount importance to understand human brain function and diseases. While neuroscientists have started to understand early brain development, the question of how the 10 billion synapses of the human brain are specified and connected remains a key and fascinating ...
Role of the sorting receptor SorCS1 in controlling excitation/inhibition balance in neural circuits. KU Leuven
Synaptic excitation and inhibition are two highly coordinated opposing forces in the central nervous system. The equilibrium between these two opposing forces, E/I balance, affects many brain functions, particularly in the mammalian cerebral cortex. Neurotransmitter receptors and cell adhesion molecules are though to have a major role in this process. Previous work from our laboratory identified SorCS1 as a critical regulator of the synaptic ...