News & Headlines

 

2023


November 2023

Neurons have long processes to form synapses and convey information. How are proteins timely supplied to these distal sites for cellular functions? Drs. Hovy Wong and Jesper Sjöström found that proteins can be made locally at presynaptic terminals to boost high-frequency neurotransmitter release, which is crucial for memory formation. This study was published in Neuron. (November 2023) Congratulations to the team!!

Sept 2023

Congratulations to Christina Chou (Sjöström Lab), who was selected as this year's recipient of the Ann and Richard Sievers Neuroscience Award, IPN’s most prestigious internal award!

June 2023

Congrats to Airi Watanabe and Connie Guo (Sjöström Lab) who published a paper in iScience, titled "The developmental profile of visual cortex astrocytes"!

May 2023

Congrats Shawniya Alageswaran (Sjöström Lab) for being accepted to the CSHL course Imaging Structure & Function in the Nervous System as well as for winning an IBRO scholarship to fund this!

Apr 2023

Congratulations to Airi Watanabe (Sjöström Lab), who won the FRQS Bourse de doctorat!
Congrats Haley Renault (Sjöström Lab), who won a studentship from the Savoy Foundation!

Mar 2023

Congratulations Connie Guo (Sjöström Lab) for winning the NSERC USRA!

Jan 2023

Congratulations Shawniya Alageswaran (Sjöström Lab) for winning the RI-MUHC Fiera Capital Prize!
Congrats to Haley Renault (Sjöström Lab) for winning the RI-MUHC studentship award!

2022


Dec 2022

The Sjöström Lab published a review in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, titled "The plasticitome of cortical interneurons". Congratulations!

Nov 2022

Airi Watanabe, Sabine Rannio, and Christina Chou (Sjöström Lab) won the GREAT travel award to go to SFN! Congrats!

Sep 2022

Congrats to Hovy Wong (Sjöström Lab), who won the SFN Trainee Professional Development Award and also a Summer 2022 Lucie Besner Travel Award! Congratulations!

June 2022

The Sjöström Lab published a new study in PLOS Computational Biology, titled "Pre- and postsynaptically expressed spike-timing-dependent plasticity contribute differentially to neuronal learning". Congrats!

Congratulations to Sabine Rannio (Sjöström Lab) for being awarded the FRQS Bourse de doctorat!

2021


October 2021

Dr. Sjöström published an editorial piece in Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience, titled "Grand Challenge at The Frontiers of Synaptic Neuroscience."

Congratulations to Hovy Wong (Sjöström Lab), who was awarded a QBIN 2021-2022 Postdoctoral Scholarship!

September 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang and Dr. Keith Murai who were awarded the Azrieli Award in Neurodevelopment from the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research.

Together with Dr Kim Huber (UT Southwestern, Dallas US) and Dr Pierre Paoletti (INSERM Paris France), Dr Jesper Sjöström edited an article collection for Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience titled "Latest Advances on Excitatory Synapse Biology".

Aug 2021

The Huang lab’s first research paper “Temporal dissection of Rai1 function reveals brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a potential therapeutic target for Smith-Magenis Syndrome” was published in Human Molecular Genetics, see link. This work represents the first successful therapy for SMS-like metabolic and social deficits in mice. Congratulations to co-first authors PhD student Sehrish Javed and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yu-Ju Lee!

July 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Aparna Suvrathan for being awarded a CIHR Project Grant titled "Timing in the cerebellum: from plasticity to behavior"!

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang for being awarded a CIHR Project Grant titled “Mechanism and Treatment for Neuronal Hyperexcitability in Smith-Magenis Syndrome”!

Congratulations to Dr. Charles Bourque for being awarded a CIHR Project Grant titled "Molecular identification of central thermosensory neurons"!

Congratulations to Airi Watanabe and Sabine Rannio (Sjöström Lab), who were awarded HBHL Doctoral Studentships!

June 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Hovy Wong (Sjöström Lab), who was awarded a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship!

May 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang, who was awarded a career grant under the program Chercheurs-boursiers du Fonds de recherche du Québec en santé (FRQS)!

March 2021

The Bourque lab published a new study in Cell Reports, congratulations! Levi DI*, Wyrosdic JC*, Hicks AI, Andrade MA, Toney GM, Prager-Khoutorsky M, Bourque CW (2021) High dietary salt amplifies osmoresponsiveness in vasopressin-releasing neurons. Cell Reports 34, 108866doi: 10.1016.  *co-first authors

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang, who was awarded the Sickkids New Investigators Research Grant from the Sickkids Foundation (2021-2024)!

January 2021

 

Congratulations to Hovy Wong, Sabine Rannio, Vicki Jones, and Aurore Thomazeau in the Sjöström Lab for publishing the review "NMDA receptors in axons: there's no coincidence" in the Journal of Physiology! See link.

2020


October 2020

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang, who was awarded a research grant (Jan-Dec 2021) from SMS Research Foundation titled “Modulation of RAI1 stability and downstream targets to treat Smith-Magenis Syndrome”!

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang was awarded a 3-year-long grant for young investigators from the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation of Canada. Congratulations!

September 2020

Dr. Claire Gizowski, former CRN PhD student in the Bourque Lab and currently a postdoctoral Fellow at UCSF, has been awarded an international Award for Research in Brain Diseases by the Foundation of the University of Zurich. This prize is awarded yearly to PhD students who have made outstanding contributions to non-clinical basic research related to brain disorders. Congratulations Claire!

August 2020

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang was awarded the “NARSAD Young Investigator Grant” from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). Congratulations!

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang’s team published a paper titled “Dosage-Sensitive Genes in Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Neurobiology to Therapy” in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, see link. Congratulations to the first author PhD student Sehrish Javed!

Congratulations to Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang, who was awarded the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to dissect the mechanism and develop therapy for autism spectrum disorders associated with copy number variants, see link.

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang was awarded the “Back on Track from COVID19 Grant” from the Azrieli Foundation. He was also awarded a pilot grant titled “Neurotrophic factor therapy for Smith-Magenis Syndrome” from the Jerome LeJeune Foundation.

July 2020

Congratulations to Claire Gizowski from Charles Bourque’s lab on publishing the last part of her PhD work in Nature! The study shows that the circadian clock of mice is not only responsive to light; the authors identify a neural circuit that allows an acute increase in circulating sodium to serve as a cue to advance clock time and drive an unscheduled response to promote homeostasis. For more information, please the McGill press release.

June 2020

Dr. Charles Bourque, James McGill Professor in the Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and senior investigator with the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, was recently appointed President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN), effective June 1. Congratulations! [Newsletter]

CRN Statement Condemning Racism, Discrimination, and Violence: The killing of George Floyd and many others is a sickening reflection of systemic racism, violence, and discriminatory practices against Black men, women, and children, which is unacceptable. The Centre for Research in Neuroscience (CRN) condemns all forms of racism, discrimination, and violence, and is committed to providing a safe, inclusive research environment where respect for all individuals is paramount. We at the CRN are committed to confronting these issues and we are working harder to improve education for all Centre faculty, staff, and trainees on racism, discrimination, and violence, and develop stronger training and outreach programs to achieve an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment. For example, we are collaborating with the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program to create a committee focused on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI). The mission of this committee will be to gather input from faculty, staff, and trainees on how the CRN and BRaIN Program can develop anti-racism and anti-discrimination policies that promote equity within our research environment and promote education and EDI training for all of our researchers. (18 June 2020)

Congratulations to our four colleagues for being awarded NSERC Discovery Grants! Dr. Aparna Suvrathan's is titled "Encoding precise movements in the rodent brain", Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang's "The role of Retinoic Acid Induced 1 (Rai1) in neural network stability", Dr. Brian Chen's “Synaptic Targeting in Hard-wired Neural Circuits”, and Dr. Yong Rao's “Dissection of aggression in Drosophila"! (17 June 2020)

Dr. Sjöström co-edited an article collection in Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience titled "Methods for Synaptic Interrogation". See Feldmeyer D, Wesseling JF, and Sjöström PJ: Front Syn Neurosci (2020) 12:1-3 [PDF]

May 2020

Sabine Rannio and Victoria Jones in the Sjöström Lab were awarded Graduate Student Fellowships from Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives — congratulations!

Congratulations to Priya Jhelum in Sam David’s Lab for winning an MS Society of Canada postdoctoral fellowship!

April 2020

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang co-authored a paper in Neuron titled “Optimizing Nervous System-Specific Gene Targeting with Cre Driver Lines: Prevalence of Germline Recombination and Influencing Factors”. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Samuel David, who was awarded a two-year grant from the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation for a project titled "Role of ferroptosis in iron-mediated secondary damage in spinal cord injury"! One of the immediate consequences of spinal cord trauma is bleeding. Red blood cells are a rich source of iron. As a result, SCI induces a tremendous iron overload in the injured tissue. Iron can produce highly toxic free radicals that cause additional damage and impair recovery. Despite much work, there are still no good strategies to control the damaging consequences of iron overload after SCI. This is largely due to the lack of effective drugs, as well as a limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying such tissue damage. Recent developments in both these areas offers renewed hope. This grant is to study the role of a novel form of iron-mediated cell and tissue damage called ferroptosis in SCI using novel compounds to inhibit ferroptosis and chelate iron. We will also assess human SCI tissue, plasma and CSF for signs of ferroptosis. This work offers new hope for a small molecule drug therapy for SCI. 

Congratulations to Amanda McFarlan in the Sjöström Lab for winning an FRQS Bourse de formation de doctorat to study the role of VIP interneurons in epilepsy!

March 2020

Yong Rao's team published "Phototactic T-maze Behavioral Assay for Comparing the Functionality of Color-sensitive Photoreceptor Subtypes in the Drosophila Visual System" in Bio-protocol. Congratulations, especially to first author Hunter Shaw!

Congratulations to Vicki Jones in the Sjöström Lab, who was awarded the RI-MUHC Studentship!

The Sjöström team also published "A Practical Guide to Using CV Analysis for Determining the Locus of Synaptic Plasticity" in Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience. Congratulations, especially to first author Jennifer Brock!

February 2020

Congratulations to Dr. Hovy Wong, Sjöström Lab, for winning The 2019 MRM Photo Contest!

Congratulations to Dr. Aurore Thomazeau (Sjöström Lab) for being awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship for a project titled "Unconventional NMDAR signaling theory for Fragile X Syndrome" worth at total cost of €244,385.28 over 3 years! The primary host of this award is Dr Barbara Bardoni at Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne France. The Sjöström Lab will host the first two years of the project.

January 2020

Congratulations to PhD student Riya Elizabeth Thomas (Aparna Suvrathan's lab) for winning an RI-MUHC PhD studentship

In Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang’s lab, Ph.D. student Sehrish Javed was awarded the RI-MUHC PhD studentship and M.Sc. student Tharushan Selliah was awarded the McGill recruitment award. Congratulations!

Yong Rao's team published "An RNAi screen for secreted factors and cell-surface players in coordinating neuron and glia development in Drosophila" in Molecular Brain. Congratulations, especially to first author Zhengya Liu!

Congratulations to Dr. Samuel David, who was awarded a four-year CIHR Project Grant for a project titled: "Ferroptosis-mediated damage in Chronic EAE: implications for Progressive MS". This grant is to study if ferroptosis plays a role in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), for which there is very limited treatment options. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of oxidative stress triggered by iron, which causes damage to lipids found in cells and myelin under conditions that lack effective antioxidant defense (glutathione levels). Such damage can lead to neurodegeneration, which is a hallmark of progressive MS. This will be studied in a mouse model of chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), widely used to study MS. Preliminary work indicates that several ferroptosis biomarkers are expressed in EAE. This will be further extended and the effects of drugs that block ferroptosis and chelate iron will be assessed. Expression levels of various ferroptosis biomarkers will also be assessed in human MS brain autopsy samples. This work could lead the way for the development of novel treatments for progressive MS.

Dr. Elvis Cela published an article in Frontiers in Neural Circuits titled "A Step-by-Step Protocol for Optogenetic Kindling", detailing how to implement a novel model of epileptogenesis that was developed in the Sjöström Lab. Congratulations!

2019


September 2019

Congratulations to Dr. Charles Bourque, who was elected a new Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community! Eleven McGillians, representing the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry, were among the 49 Canadians recognized for their leadership in the health sciences through their election as new Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). The new Fellows were formally inducted during a ceremony as part of the CAHS Annual Meeting on September 19 in Ottawa. Elections are based on a nominating and peer review process that seeks to recognize those who are marked by a record of substantial accomplishment.

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang was awarded the Honourable Hartland Molson Fellowship from the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. Congratulations!

August 2019

Dr. Yong Rao's team published a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience titled "The Conserved IgSF9 Protein Borderless Regulates Axonal Transport of Presynaptic Components and Color Vision in Drosophila." The wood piece displayed on the journal cover page was created by a collaboration between artist Paméla Simard and first author of the study Hunter S. Shaw from fluorescent microscopy images. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Aparna Suvrathan and Dr. Jesper Sjöström for being awarded the Azrieli Center for Autism Research (ACAR) Award!

Congratulations to Airi Watanabe and Amanda McFarlan in the Sjöström lab for being awarded HBHL Graduate Student Fellowships! Amanda McFarlan was also awarded the Faculty of Medicine Studentship (declined).

April 2019

In Dr Charles Bourque's Lab, Claire Gizowski was awarded the CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined, ranked 1st of 626 applicants), the CIHR Banting-Best/Vanier Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined), as well as the HFSP Long Term Postdoctoral Fellowship (accepted). Nick Simpson received a CIHR Doctoral Research Award.

In Dr Keith Murai's Lab, Dr. Alex Schober received a 2-year FRQS Postdoctoral Award. 

In the Sjöström Lab, Christina Chou received both the 3-year NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship-Doctoral and the 4-year FRQNT Bourse de doctorat en recherche, while doctoral student Libin Zhou was awarded a scholarship for outstanding Chinese students abroad.

Congratulations to Dr Aparna Suvrathan for receiving an FRQS Chercheurs-Boursiers award!

March 2019

Dr. Jesper Sjöström's team created a novel model of epilepsy relying on laser light, see paper in Scientific Reports titled "An Optogenetic Kindling Model of Neocortical Epilepsy." For press release, click here.

Aparna Suvrathan was awarded a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) for setting up infrastructure to study cerebellum-dependent learning and its perturbation in disease. 

January 2019

Congratulations to Dr. David Stellwagen for being awarded a CIHR Project Grant titled Microglial regulation of cocaine self-administration in rats.

Together with Dr. Scott Waddell at Oxford, Dr. Jesper Sjöström edited Issue 54 of Current Opinion in Neurobiology, titled "Neurobiology of learning and plasticity," see Editorial Overview.

Aparna Suvrathan published a review article discussing how synaptic plasticity can have precise timing requirements that are related to the specific behavioral functions of the local circuit. (Beyond STDP – towards diverse and functionally relevant plasticity rules. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 2019 Feb;54:12-19.)

2018


December 2018

Aparna Suvrathan is the lead author of an article on the relevance of lasticity induction protocols, in the context of cerebellar synapses. (Depressed by Learning-Heterogeneity of the Plasticity Rules at Parallel Fiber Synapses onto Purkinje Cells. Cerebellum. 2018 Dec;17(6):747-755.) 

November 2018

Congratulations to Dr. Van Meyel's team for their publication in Current Biology, titled "The Taurine Transporter Eaat2 Functions in Ensheathing Glia to Modulate Sleep and Metabolic Rate," which uncovered a mechanism for regulating sleep in fruit flies using taurine, an ingredient commonly found in energy drinks. For press release, click here.

The Brian Chen lab received a $1.45M grant for the development of a drug-screening platform for protein expression levels. The funding contributions were provided by the Consortium Québécois sur la Découverte du Médicament (CQDM), the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of the Government of Quebec (MEI), Pfizer Canada, the Brain Canada Foundation, and the Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives initiative supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund to McGill.

October 2018

Congratulations to Sam David's team for their study in PLoS Biology, titled Peripherally derived macrophages modulate microglial function to reduce inflammation after CNS injury. Click here for additional information.

Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang, a leading expert in the field of Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) research and a recent CRN faculty recruit, has been awarded an SMS Research Foundation grant to identify a drug to treat SMS. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr Aparna Suvrathan for receiving the Brigadier-General Herbert Stanley Birkett award!

August 2018

Congratulations to Dr. Don Van Meyel for being awarded a CIHR Project Grant, titled Dissecting mechanisms by which Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters (EAATs) contribute to CNS function and neurological diseases.

Dr. Sal Carbonetto has stepped down as director of the CRN and is now Professor Emeritus. He is no longer taking on students or postdoctoral fellows.

July 2018

Congratulations to Dr. Aparna Suvrathan for being awarded the Brigadier-General Herbert Stanley Birkett Memorial Research Studentship from the Research Institute of the MUHC.

January 2018

The CRN welcomes its new Principal Investigator, Dr. Aparna Suvrathan! To read more about Dr. Suvrathan's work, click here.

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Murai and Dr. Jesper Sjöström for being awarded CIHR Project Grants, titled Harnessing Neuron-Astrocyte Communication for Promoting Brain Health and Unconventional NMDA Receptor Signalling in Neocortical Plasticity, respectively.

2017


November 2017

Congratulations to Dr. Jesper Sjöström's team for their publication Abrahamsson et al., Differential Regulation of Evoked and Spontaneous Release by Presynaptic NMDA ReceptorsNeuron (2017) 96(4):839-855.

April 2017

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Chen's team for providing the cover for the April 2017 issue of Biotechniques! Chiu-An Lo is a CRN post-doc in the Chen lab, and Alexander Greben an undergraduate student. Lo CA, Greben AW, Chen BE  (2017) Stable Cell Line Generation with Quantifiable Protein Production Using CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Knock-In. BioTechniques  April 2017 62(4): 165–174.

Congratulations to David Levi and Claire Gizowski from Charles Bourque’s lab! David was awarded a Master’s Studentship by the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS M) Program. Claire Gizowski was received a Doctoral Award from the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Program.

Congratulations to Dr Sjöström for being awarded and NSERC Discovery Grant and Discovery Accelerator Supplement on Synapse-type-specific plasticity in neocortical microcircuits.

March 2017

Dr Stellwagen and Dr Sjöström contributed articles to the special meeting issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, titled Integrating Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity:

  • Costa RP, Mizusaki BEP, Sjöström PJ, van Rossum MCW (2017) Functional consequences of pre- and postsynaptic expression of synaptic plasticity. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0153
  • Konefal SC, Stellwagen D (2017) Tumour necrosis factor-mediated homeostatic synaptic plasticity in behavioural models: testing a role in maternal immune activation. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0160.
  • Keck T, Toyoizumi T, Chen L, Doiron B, Feldman DE, Fox K, Gerstner W, Haydon PG, Hübener M, Lee HK, Lisman JE, Rose T, Sengpiel F, Stellwagen D, Stryker MP, Turrigiano GG, van Rossum MC (2017) Integrating Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity: the current state of the field and future research directions. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0158.

 

2016


September 2016

Congratulations to Claire Gizowski and colleagues from the Bourque lab who have recently published a study describing a mechanism by which the central clock directly regulates a circadian behavior. Specifically, they show that the surge in water intake that precedes the sleep-period in mice relies on the activity of suprachiasmatic nucleus vasopressin (VP) neurons that project to thirst neurons in the OVLT, where VP is released as an excitatory neurotransmitter. Gizowski C, Zaelzer C and Bourque CW (2016) Clock-driven vasopressin neurotransmission mediates anticipatory thirst prior to sleep. Nature 537, 685-688. In addition to a News & Views article in the same issue of Nature, the paper was highlighted in many media outlets including this article in The Scientist Magazine:  http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47148/title/Circadian-Controlled-Thirst/.

Belated congratulations to Dr. Katrina Choe from the Bourque Lab who received one of the 2015 CIHR Brainstar Awards for her publication in Neuron: Choe KY, Han SY, Gaub P, Shell B, Voisin DL, Knapp BA, Barker PA, Brown CH, Cunningham JT and Bourque CW. (2015) High Salt Intake Increases Blood Pressure via BDNF-Mediated Downregulation of KCC2 and Impaired Baroreflex Inhibition of Vasopressin Neurons. Neuron 85, 549-560. The award was announced before the Canadian Association for Neuroscience Meeting in April 2016.

Belated congratulations to  Dr. Cristian Zaelzer from the Bourque lab who received one of the 2015 CIHR Brainstar Awards for his publication in Cell Reports: Zaelzer C, Hua P, Prager-Khoutorsky M, Ciura S, Voisin DL, Liedtke W and Bourque CW. (2015) ΔN-TRPV1: A Molecular Co-detector of Body Temperature and Osmotic Stress. Cell Reports 13, 23-30. The award was announced before the Canadian Association for Neuroscience Meeting in April 2016.

Congratulations to Charles Bourque for receiving the John J. Day Award of Excellence from the Québec Heart and Stroke Foundation.

August 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Greenhalgh and members of the David lab for their recent work published in Brain Behavior and Immunity demonstrating that Arginase-1 (Arg-1) a well characterised modulator of tissue repair is expressed exclusively in infiltrating myeloid cells but not microglia in models of spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. This work shows different functional roles for these cells in CNS injury and repair, and also shows that such repair pathways can be switched on in infiltrating myeloid cells in pro-inflammatory environments. Arginase-1 is expressed exclusively by infiltrating myeloid cells in CNS injury and disease. Brain Behav Immun. 2016 Aug;56:61-7.

Congratulations to Dr. Loïs Miraucourt and members of the Ruthazer lab for their recent work published in eLife. Lois found that activation of CB1 receptors on retinal ganglion cells in the tadpole’s eye caused an increase in their intrinsic excitability via regulation of intracellular Cl levels.  An AMPK-dependent suppression of NKCC1 activity causes RGCs to hyperpolarize as Cl levels decline.  This hyperpolarization produces a paradoxical enhancement in the ability of the cells to spike in response to visual inputs from the outer retina.  In collaboration with Paul Wiseman’s lab he developed a behavioural assay that further showed that cannabinoid exposure improves the ability of tadpoles to detect and escape from moving dots under low light, low contrast conditions.  The study was published in eLife on Aug. 8, 2016 and was in large part funded by a fellowship from Epilepsie Canada to Dr. Miraucourt and by the NSERC CREATE Neuroengineering Training Program. Endocannabinoid signaling enhances visual responses through modulation of intracellular chloride levels in retinal ganglion cells. eLife 2016;5:e15932. See also the press release.

July 2016

Congratulations to Neda Parinejad and members of the van Meyel lab for their recent work published in Journal of Neuroscience in which they studied a mutation found in episodic ataxia of the dual-function glutamate transporter/chloride channel EAAT1. They discovered this mutation caused malformation of astrocytes and episodes of paralysis in a Drosophila model, and revealed a new pathophysiological mechanism via disruption of the EAAT1 chloride channel. In some cases, this mechanism might also be important for neurological diseases related to episodic ataxia, such as hemiplegia, migraine, and epilepsy. Disruption of an EAAT-mediated chloride channel in a Drosophila model of ataxia. J Neurosci 2016 Jul 20;36(29):7640-7.

June 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Cameron and Dr. Yixu Chen of the Rao lab for their recent work published in Developmental Biology. In this paper, they identify the conserved Ig-superfamily protein Borderless as a novel and important player in regulating the initial recognition between glia and axon in the development visual system. Their findings shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the developmental control of glial extension and axon ensheathment for normal brain function. Borderless regulates glial extension and axon ensheathment. Dev Biol. 2016 Jun 15;414(2):170-80.

May 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Gil Lewitus and members of the Stellwagen lab for their recent work published in Neuron demonstrating that microglia respond to cocaine by releasing TNF-α, which acts to mitigate cocaine-induced synaptic and behavioral changes. Microglial TNF-α Suppresses Cocaine-Induced Plasticity and Behavioral Sensitization. Neuron 4 May 2016, 90(3):483–491.

Congratulations to Dr. Chiu-An Lo and Ibrahim Kays in Dr. Chen’s lab for winning a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 2016 Brain Star Award!  They received the $1,500 award for their work on developing a technique to measure protein levels in single living cells.  Quantification of Protein Levels in Single Living CellsCell Reports 22 December 2015; Volume 13, Issue 11, p2634–2644.

April 2016

Congratulations to Dr. David Bouvier and members of the Murai lab and collaborators from the Mechawar and Quirion labs at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute for their recent work published in Scientific Reports. In this paper, they reveal novel structural and molecular features of microglia and astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and show the intricate crosstalk between these cells in relation to the pathological signatures of AD. Using information gained from human tissue analysis, they demonstrate that microglia and astrocytes create similar structures in an AD mouse model and have an interesting developmental pattern that coincides with the progressive development of neuropathology including hyperphosphorylation of tau and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. High Resolution Dissection of Reactive Glial Nets in Alzheimer’s Disease.  Sci Rep. 2016 Apr 19;6:24544. doi: 10.1038/srep24544.

Congratulations to Dr. Emilie Peco and members of the van Meyel lab for their recent work published in Development documenting the births, organization and differentiation of astrocytes in the fruit fly, Drosophila. This pioneering work will allow this powerful genetic model system to be used to accelerate research into astrocytes, which in the brain and spinal cord of mammals are crucial in the formation, fine-tuning, function and plasticity of neural circuits. Drosophila astrocytes cover specific territories of the CNS neuropil and are instructed to differentiate by Prospero, a key effector of Notch. Development 2016 Apr 1;143(7):1170-81.

February 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Todd Farmer and members of the Murai lab for their recent work published in Science demonstrating that astrocytes, which play fundamental roles in nearly all aspects of brain function, can be modified by neurons in response to injury and disease. Neurons diversify astrocytes in the adult brain through sonic hedgehog signaling. Science 19 Feb 2016, 351(6275):849-854. See also the press release from the MUHC.

 

2015


November 2015

CRN investigator Dr. Samuel David is the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Barbara Turnbull Award for Spinal Cord Research, for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of world leading spinal cord research conducted in Canada.  This annual prize is supported through a partnership between the Barbara Turnbull Foundation, Brain Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Dr. David's team studies the mechanisms that control the delivery and release of iron in the nervous system, which is required for the survival and functioning of nerve cells. Dr. David's findings helps us understand spinal cord and brain injury so that we can find ways to promote recovery. See also the MUHC press release.

October 2015

Congratulations to Cristian Zaelzer and members of the Bourque lab for their recent work published in Cell Reports identifying the structure of a key protein in the brain that is involved in body hydration and that could control temperature. ΔN-TRPV1: A Molecular Co-detector of Body Temperature and Osmotic Stress. Cell Reports. October 6, 2015. See also press releases from the MUHC.

August 2015

The CRN is pleased to announce that Dr. Katrina Choe (Bourque Lab) has been named Lauréate du Fonds Santé (August 2015) for her exceptional research contribution published in the journal Neuron identifying mechanisms involved in salt intake and blood pressure.    http://www.frq.gouv.qc.ca/laureats/katrina-choe

In collaboration with Dr. Costa at the University of Oxford (UK), Dr. van Rossum at the University of Edinburgh (UK), and Dr. Froemke at the Skirball Institute for Bimolecular Medicine (US), Dr. Sjöström (CRN) has in a computational neuroscience study published in eLife (26 August 2015) shown that when information is stored on the transmitting as opposed to the receiving side of synapses in the brain, learned information is considerably better discriminated and relearning of lost information is dramatically faster. The current consensus of focussing on the receiving side of synapses may thus vastly underestimate the capacity of neuronal circuits in the brain.

January 2015

Congratulations to Katrina Choe and members of the Bourque lab for their recent work published in Neuron identifying an important mechanism linking salt intake and blood pressure. High Salt Intake Increases Blood Pressure via BDNF Mediated Downregulation of KCC2 and Impaired Baroreflex Inhibition of Vasopressin Neurons. Neuron. January 22, 2015. See also press releases from the MUHC and McGill.

 

2014


November 2014

Congratulations to Erin Nuro and Denise Cook from the Murai Lab for revealing a novel mechanism involved in constraining synaptic plasticity and memory formation. FXR1P limits long-term memory, long-lasting synaptic potentiation, and de novo GluA2 translation. Cell Rep. 2014 Nov 20;9(4):1402-16. See also press releases from the MUHC and McGill.

CRN Publications

Cook D, Nuro E, Jones EV, Altimimi HF, Farmer WT, Gandin V, Hanna E, Zong R, Barbon A, Nelson DL, Topisirovic I, Rochford J, Stellwagen D, Béïque JC, Murai KK. FXR1P limits long-term memory, long-lasting synaptic potentiation, and de novo GluA2 translation. Cell Reports. 2014 Nov 20;9(4):1402-16.

October 2014

Congratulations to Tiago Ferreira and members of the van Meyel and Sjöstrom Labs for their recent work published in Nature Methods for developing novel methodology for dissecting neuronal morphometry. Neuronal morphometry directly from bitmap images. Nat Methods. 2014 Oct;11(10):982-4.

New findings from the van Meyel Lab shed light on the requirement of the receptors ihog and Boi in regulating the ability of Patched to elicit Sonic Hedgehog signaling. For more details see, Ihog and Boi elicit Hh signaling via Ptc but do not aid Ptc in sequestering the Hh ligand. Development. 2014 Oct;141(20):3879-88.

CRN Publications

Camp D, Haitian He B, Li S, Althaus IW, Holtz AM, Allen BL, Charron F, van Meyel DJ. Ihog and Boi elicit Hh signaling via Ptc but do not aid Ptc in sequestering the Hh ligand. Development. 2014 Oct;141(20):3879-88.

Ferreira TA, Blackman AV, Oyrer J, Jayabal S, Chung AJ, Watt AJ, Sjöström PJ, van Meyel DJ. Neuronal morphometry directly from bitmap images. Nat Methods. 2014 Oct;11(10):982-4.

 

September 2014

New findings from Antje Kroner and the David lab show how macrophages become polarized upon spinal cord injury. See "TNF and increased intracellular iron after macrophage polarization to a detrimental M1 phenotype in the injured spinal cord." Neuron, Sept. 3, 2014.

CRN Publications

Kroner A, Greenhalgh AD, Zarruk JG, Passos Dos Santos R, Gaestel M, David S. TNF and Increased Intracellular Iron Alter Macrophage Polarization to a Detrimental M1 Phenotype in the Injured Spinal Cord. Neuron, Sept 3, 2014. PMID: 25132469

 

August 2014

Congraulations to Mahmoudreza Ramin and the Rao lab for their recent publication in Molecular Brain titled, "Aggression and social experience: Genetic analysis of visual circuitry activity in the control of aggressiveness in Drosophila." August 13, 2014.

A new study published and highlighted in the journal Neuron by Dr. Masha Prager-Khoutorsky in the Bourque Lab reveals how osmosensation is controlled by a microtubule-TRPV1 interaction needed for mechanotransduction. "Unique Interweaved Microtubule Scaffold Mediates Osmosensory Transduction via Physical Interaction with TRPV1." August 6, 2014.

Recent work from Hsiao-Han Hsieh and the members of the Rao lab provide insight into the role of Semaphorin reverse signaling in the developing visual system. See, "Control of axon-axon attraction by Semaphorin reverse signaling. PNAS, August 5, 2014.

CRN Publications

Ramin M, Domocos C, Slawaska-Eng D, Rao Y. Aggression and social experience: genetic analysis of visual circuit activity in the control of aggressiveness in Drosophila. Mol Brain. 2014 Aug 13;7(1):55. PMID: 25116850

Prager-Khoutorsky M, Khoutorsky A, Bourque CW. Unique Interweaved Microtubule Scaffold Mediates Osmosensory Transduction via Physical Interaction with TRPV1.  Neuron. 2014 Aug 20;83(4):866-78. PMID: 25123313

Hsieh HH, Chang WT, Yu L, Rao Y. Control of axon-axon attraction by Semaphorin reverse signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Aug 5;111(31):11383-8. PMID: 25049408

 

July 2014

Congratutions to Ariane Gagnon and other members in the Bourque Lab for their recent work published in The Journal of Physiology on understanding how spike clustering in supraoptic nucleus neurons of the hypothalamus are regulated by NMDA and neurotensin receptors. Modulation of spike clustering by NMDA receptors and neurotensin in rat supraoptic nucleus neurons. J Physiol. 2014 Jul 25.

The CRN congratulates Drs. Tevye Stachniak and Eric Trudel in the Bourque lab for their recent publication in Cell Reports titled, "Cell-Specific Retrograde Signals Mediate Antiparallel Effects of Angiotensin II on Osmoreceptor Afferents to Vasopressin and Oxytocin Neurons." July 17, 2014. 

CRN Publications

Gagnon A, Walsh M, Okuda T, Choe KY, Zaelzer C, Bourque CW. Modulation of spike clustering by NMDA receptors and neurotensin in rat supraoptic nucleus neurons. J Physiol. 2014 Jul 25. PMID: 25063824

Stachniak TJ, Trudel E, Bourque CW. Cell-Specific Retrograde Signals Mediate Antiparallel Effects of Angiotensin II on Osmoreceptor Afferents to Vasopressin and Oxytocin Neurons. Cell Rep. 2014 Jul 24;8(2):355-62. PMID: 25043186

 

June 2014

The CRN congratulates Dr. Jessica Sudbury in the lab of Charles Bourque for being chosen as a recipient of the Faculty of Medicine's McGill MedStar Award in recognition of her publication entitled “Dynamic and Permissive Roles of TRPV1 and TRPV4 Channels for Thermosensation in Mouse Supraoptic Magnocellular Neurosecretory Neurons" J Neurosci. 2013 Oct 23;33(43):17160-5.

 

May 2014

A recent discovery from the Carbonetto and Stellwagen Labs sheds light on the importance of dystroglycan in activity-dependent homeostatic plasticty of GABAergic synapses. Click the following title for further details: Dystroglycan mediates homeostatic synaptic plasticity at GABAergic synapses. PNAS (2014).

CRN Publications

Pribiag H, Peng H, Shah WA, Stellwagen D, Carbonetto S. Dystroglycan mediates homeostatic synaptic plasticity at GABAergic synapses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 May 6;111(18):6810-5. PMID: 24753587

 

April 2014

A new study from Drs. Andy Greenhalgh and Sam David shed light on the properties of microglial cells and macrophages after spinal cord injury. See Greenhalgh and David, Differences in the phagocytic response of microglia and peripheral macrophages after spinal cord injury and its effects on cell death. J Neurosci. 2014 Apr 30;34(18):6316-22.

The CRN congratulates Dr. Gil Lewitus and members of the Stellwagen lab for their work in dissecting a novel role of TNFalpha in regulating the properties of striatal synapses. See Lewitus et al., An Adaptive Role of TNFα in the Regulation of Striatal Synapses. J Neurosci. 2014 Apr 30;34(18):6146-55. 

The CRN would like express our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. John MacDonald, who passed away April 22, 2014. Dr. MacDonald was former Director of the Robarts Research Institute and Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Western University. He also served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the CRN. He was an outstanding scientist who made many important contributions to neuroscience during his stellar and productive career.  John will be greatly missed by us and by his colleagues for his scholarship and above all for his warm friendship and his thoughtful advice.  

CRN Publications

Greenhalgh AD, David S. Differences in the phagocytic response of microglia and peripheral macrophages after spinal cord injury and its effects on cell death. J Neurosci. 2014 Apr 30;34(18):6316-22. PMID: 24790202

Lewitus GM, Pribiag H, Duseja R, St-Hilaire M, Stellwagen D. An Adaptive Role of TNFα in the Regulation of Striatal Synapses. J Neurosci. 2014 Apr 30;34(18):6146-55. PMID: 24790185

 

March 2014

CRN Publications

Escartin C, Murai KK. Imaging and monitoring astrocytes in health and disease. Front Cell Neurosci. 2014 Mar 12;8:74. PMID: 24659954

 

February 2014

Recent discoveries from the Chen lab were recently highlighted in a short animation by SimpliSci. Please see: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mPeV1Kuq6A

 

The CRN congratulates Dr. Tiago Ferreira and members of the van Meyel Laboratory for their recent publication in Development. The manuscript was highlighted on the cover of the journal. 

See Ferreira T, Ou Y, Li S, Giniger E, van Meyel DJ. Dendrite architecture organized by transcriptional control of the F-actin nucleator Spire. Development. 2014 Feb;141(3):650-60.

 

CRN Publications

Ferreira T, Ou Y, Li S, Giniger E, van Meyel DJ. Dendrite architecture organized by transcriptional control of the F-actin nucleator Spire. Development. 2014 Feb;141(3):650-60.

Carbonetto S. A blueprint for research on Shankopathies: A view from research on autism spectrum disorder. Dev Neurobiol. 2014 Feb;74(2):85-112.

Cook D, Nuro E, Murai KK. Increasing our understanding of human cognition through the study of Fragile X Syndrome. Dev Neurobiol. 2014 Feb;74(2):147-77.

 

January 2014

CRN Publications

Costa RP, Watt AJ, Sjöström PJ. How to train a neuron. Elife. 2013;2:e00491.

Kays I, Cvetkovska V, Chen BE. Structural and functional analysis of single neurons to correlate synaptic connectivity with grooming behavior. Nat Protoc. 2014 Jan;9(1):1-10. 

 

 

2013


December 2013

CRN Publications

Blackman AV, Abrahamsson T, Costa RP, Lalanne T, Sjöström PJ. Target-cell-specific short-term plasticity in local circuits. Front Synaptic Neurosci. 2013 Dec 6;5:11. eCollection 2013. 

 

October 2013

CRN Publications

Cameron S, Chang WT, Chen Y, Zhou Y, Taran S, Rao Y. Visual circuit assembly requires fine tuning of the novel Ig transmembrane protein Borderless. J Neurosci. 2013 Oct 30;33(44):17413-21.

Goldman JS, Ashour MA, Magdesian MH, Tritsch NX, Harris SN, Christofi N, Chemali R, Stern YE, Thompson-Steckel G, Gris P, Glasgow SD, Grutter P, Bouchard JF, Ruthazer ES, Stellwagen D, Kennedy TE. Netrin-1 promotes excitatory synaptogenesis between cortical neurons by initiating synapse assembly. J Neurosci. 2013 Oct 30;33(44):17278-89.

Pribiag H, Stellwagen D. TNF-α downregulates inhibitory neurotransmission through protein phosphatase 1-dependent trafficking of GABA(A) receptors. J Neurosci. 2013 Oct 2;33(40):15879-93.

Robins SC, Trudel E, Rotondi O, Liu X, Djogo T, Kryzskaya D, Bourque CW, Kokoeva MV. Evidence for NG2-glia derived, adult-born functional neurons in the hypothalamus. PLoS One. 2013 Oct 29;8(10):e78236.

Sudbury JR, Bourque CW. Dynamic and permissive roles of TRPV1 and TRPV4 channels for thermosensation in mouse supraoptic magnocellular neurosecretory neurons. J Neurosci. 2013 Oct 23;33(43):17160-5.

 

July 2013

Congratulations to Dr. Jesper Sjöström for receiving a 5 year New Investigator Salary Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Congratulations to Dr. David Stellwagen for receiving a two year grant from the ALS Society of Canada, ALS Canada Research Fund grant entitled, "The role of TNFalpha in neurodegeneration."

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Murai for receiving a two year grant from the Pfizer/Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé Innovation Fund entitled, "Investigation des interactions de la microglie-astrocyte dans la maladie d’Alzheimer."

CRN Publications

Altimimi HF, Stellwagen D. Persistent synaptic scaling independent of AMPA receptor subunit composition. J Neurosci. 2013 Jul 17;33(29):11763-7.

Siddoway BA, Altimimi HF, Hou H, Petralia RS, Xu B, Stellwagen D, Xia H. An essential role for inhibitor-2 regulation of protein phosphatase-1 in synaptic scaling. J Neurosci. 2013 Jul 3;33(27):11206-11. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5241-12.2013.

 

June 2013

CRN Publications

Costa RP, Sjöström PJ, van Rossum MC. Probabilistic inference of short-term synaptic plasticity in neocortical microcircuits. Front Comput Neurosci. 2013 Jun 6;7:75. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2013.00075.

Ricoult SG, Goldman JS, Stellwagen D, Juncker D, Kennedy TE. Generation of microisland cultures using microcontact printing to pattern protein substrates. J Neurosci Methods. 2012 Jun 30;208(1):10-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.04.016.

 

May 2013

The CRN congratulates Vedrana Cvetkovska, Alexa Hibbert, and Dr. Farida Emran in the laboratory of Dr. Brian Chen for their recent publication in Nature Neuroscience entitled Overexpression of Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule Impairs Precise Synaptic Targeting. Details about the research can be found at: http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3396.html

CRN Publications

Cvetkovska V, Hibbert AD, Emran F, Chen BE. Overexpression of Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule impairs precise synaptic targeting. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Jun;16(6):677-82. doi: 10.1038/nn.3396. Epub 2013 May 12.

Peng H, Ong YM, Shah WA, Holland PC, Carbonetto S. Integrins regulate centrosome integrity and astrocyte polarization following a wound. Dev Neurobiol. 2013 May;73(5):333-53. doi: 10.1002/dneu.22055.

 

April 2013

The CRN congratulates Dr. Charles Bourque who was recently awarded the 2013 Joseph Erlanger Distinguished Lectureship by the Central Nervous System Section of the American Physiological Society. Information about the announcement can be found at: http://www.newswise.com/articles/american-physiological-society-announces-top-award-lectures-distinguished-lectureships-at-experimental-biology-2013

 

February 2013

The CRN congratulates Ms. Katrina Choe in the lab of Charles Bourque for being chosen as a recipient of the Faculty of Medicine's McGill MedStar Award in recognition of her publication entitled “Taurine Release by Astrocytes Modulates Osmosensitive Glycine Receptor Tone and Excitability in the Adult Supraoptic Nucleus." J. Neurosci. 2012 32:12518-27.

CRN Publications

Suzuki-Anekoji M, Suzuki A, Wu SW, Angata K, Murai KK, Sugihara K, Akama TO, Khoo KH, Nakayama J, Fukuda MN, Fukuda M. In vivo regulation of steroid hormones by the Chst10 sulfotransferase in mouse. J Biol Chem. 2013 Feb 15;288(7):5007-16. 

 

January 2013

Congratulations to Dr. Jesper Sjöström for receiving a 5 year CIHR Operating Grant entitled: Presynaptic NMDA receptors in neocortical plasticity.

CRN Publications

Costa RP, Watt AJ, Sjöström PJ. How to train a neuron. elife. 2013;2:e00491. doi: 10.7554/eLife.00491. Epub 2013 Jan 22.

Fasano C, Bourque MJ, Lapointe G, Leo D, Thibault D, Haber M, Kortleven C, Desgroseillers L, Murai KK, Trudeau LÉ. Dopamine facilitates dendritic spine formation by cultured striatal medium spiny neurons through both D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. Neuropharmacology. 2013 Apr;67:432-43. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.11.030. Epub 2012 Dec 8.

Horn KE, Glasgow SD, Gobert D, Bull SJ, Luk T, Girgis J, Tremblay ME, McEachern D, Bouchard JF, Haber M, Hamel E, Krimpenfort P, Murai KK, Berns A, Doucet G, Chapman CA, Ruthazer ES, Kennedy TE. DCC Expression by Neurons Regulates Synaptic Plasticity in the Adult Brain. Cell Rep. 2013 Jan 31;3(1):173-85. 

 

 



2012


 

December 2012

CRN Publications

David S, Zarruk JG, Ghasemlou N. Inflammatory pathways in spinal cord injury. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2012;106:127-52. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-407178-0.00006-5.

David S, López-Vales R, Wee Yong V. Harmful and beneficial effects of inflammation after spinal cord injury: potential therapeutic implications. Handb Clin Neurol. 2012;109:485-502. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-52137-8.00030-9.

October 2012

The CRN congratulates Dr. Brian Chen for receiving a Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD Foundation). The title of the award is: The role of the Plexin receptors in neural circuit formation and function.

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Chen  for receiving a 5 year NSERC Discovery Grant entitled: Synaptic Targeting in Hard-Wired Neural Circuits Underlying an Innate Behavior.

CRN Publications

Zhou Y, Cameron S, Chang WT, Rao YControl of directional change after mechanical stimulation in Drosophila. Mol Brain. 2012 Oct 29;5:39. doi: 10.1186/1756-6606-5-39.

September 2012

CRN Publications

Peng H, Ong YM, Shah WA, Holland PC, Carbonetto S. Integrins regulate centrosome integrity and astrocyte polarization following a wound. Dev Neurobiol. 2012 Sep 4. doi: 10.1002/dneu.22055. [Epub ahead of print]

August 2012

The CRN congratulates Katrina Choe and Dr. Charles Bourqe for their recent publication in the Journal of Neuroscience entitled Taurine release by astrocytes modulates osmosensitive glycine receptor tone and excitability in the adult supraoptic nucleus. The article was featured on the cover of the journal. 

Congratulations to Dr. Don van Meyel for receving a 5 year NSERC Discovery grant entitled: Using Drosophila to investigate the roles of conserved IgSF proteins in neuronal differentiation and axon guidance.

CRN Publications

Buchanan KA, Blackman AV, Moreau AW, Elgar D, Costa RP, Lalanne T, Tudor Jones AA, Oyrer J, & Sjöström PJ: Target-specific expression of presynaptic NMDA receptors in neocortical microcircuits. Neuron 2012 75:451-466.

Choe KY, Olson JE, Bourque CW. Taurine release by astrocytes modulates osmosensitive glycine receptor tone and excitability in the adult supraoptic nucleus. J. Neurosci. 2012 32:12518-27.

Markram H, Gerstner W, & Sjöström PJ (Eds): Spike-timing-dependent plasticity: a comprehensive overview. Frontiers Research Topic eBook 2012 ISBN: 978-2-88919-043-0, Frontiers Media SA.

Zusso M, Methot L, Lo R, Greenhalgh AD, David S, Stifani S. Regulation of postnatal forebrain amoeboid microglial cell proliferation and development by the transcription factor runx1. J Neurosci. 2012 32:11285-98.

July 2012

CRN Publications

Berard JL, Zarruk JG, Arbour N, Prat A, Yong VW, Jacques FH, Akira S, David S. Lipocalin 2 is a novel immune mediator of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathogenesis and is modulated in multiple sclerosis. Glia. 2012 60:1145-59. 

Chierzi S, Stachniak TJ, Trudel E, Bourque CW, Murai KK. Activity maintains structural plasticity of mossy fiber terminals in the hippocampus. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2012 50:260-71. 

David S, Greenhalgh AD, López-Vales R. Role of phospholipase A2s and lipid mediators in secondary damage after spinal cord injury. Cell Tissue Res. 2012 349:249-67. 

Verbich D, Prenosil GA, Chang PK, Murai KK, McKinney RA. Glial glutamate transport modulates dendritic spine head protrusions in the hippocampus. Glia. 2012 60:1067-77. 

June 2012

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Murai for receving a 5 year CIHR operating grant entitled: Neuron-glial mechanims in neural circuitry plasticity and homeostasis.

CRN Publications

Ricoult SG, Goldman JS, Stellwagen D, Juncker D, Kennedy TE. Generation of microisland cultures using microcontact printing to pattern protein substrates. J Neurosci Methods. 2012 208:10-7. 

May 2012

CRN Publications

Rathore KI, Redensek A, David S. Iron homeostasis in astrocytes and microglia is differentially regulated by TNF-α and TGF-β1. Glia. 2012 60:738-50. 

Stochmanski SJ, Therrien M, Laganière J, Rochefort D, Laurent S, Karemera L, Gaudet R, Vyboh K, Van Meyel DJ, Di Cristo G, Dion PA, Gaspar C, Rouleau GA. Expanded ATXN3 frameshifting events are toxic in Drosophila and mammalian neuron models. Hum Mol Genet. 2012 21:2211-8. 

April 2012

CRN Publications

Bourque CW, Guilak F, Liedtke W. A TRP that makes us feel hyper. J Physiol. 2012 590:1779-80.

Schulz K, Kroner A, David S. Iron efflux from astrocytes plays a role in remyelination. J Neurosci. 2012 32:4841-7.

Trudel E, Bourque CW.  Circadian modulation of osmoregulated firing in rat supraoptic nucleus neurones. J Neuroendocrinol. 2012 24:577-86.

March 2012

CRN Publications

Zhou L, Jones EV, Murai KK. EphA signaling promotes actin-based dendritic spine remodeling through slingshot phosphatase. J Biol Chem. 2012 287:9346-59. 

February 2012

CRN Publications

Jones EV, Cook D, Murai KK. A neuron-astrocyte co-culture system to investigate astrocyte-secreted factors in mouse neuronal development. Methods Mol Biol. 2012;814:341-52.

Peng H, Carbonetto S. Astrocyte polarization and wound healing in culture: studying cell adhesion molecules. Methods Mol Biol. 2012;814:177-88.

Rathore KI, Redensek A, David S. Iron homeostasis in astrocytes and microglia is differentially regulated by TNF-α and TGF-β1. Glia. 2012 Feb 1 (Epub ahead of print)

Trudel E, Bourque CW. Circadian modulation of osmoregulated firing in rat supraoptic nucleus neurons. J Neuroendocrinol. 2012 Feb 14 (Epub ahead of print)

January 2012

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Chen for receiving a 5 year grant from CIHR entitled: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Neural Circuit Formation.

Congratulations to Dr. Charles Bourque for receiving a 5 year grant from CIHR entitled: Role of TRPV channels in the thermal and osmotic control of vasopressin neurons.

The CRN congratulates Dr. Jesper Sjöström for being appointed as Chief Editor for Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience. 

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Murai for being appointed Associate Editor at The Journal of Neuroscience.


2011

December 2011

CRN Publications

López-Vales R, Ghasemlou N, Redensek A, Kerr BJ, Barbayianni E, Antonopoulou G, Baskakis C, Rathore KI, Constantinou-Kokotou V, Stephens D, Shimizu T, Dennis EA, Kokotos G, David S. Phospholipase A2 superfamily members play divergent roles after spinal cord injury. FASEB J. 2011 Dec;25(12):4240-52. 

November 2011

CRN Publications

Bouhy D, Ghasemlou N, Lively S, Redensek A, Rathore KI, Schlichter LC, David S. Inhibition of the Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺ channel, KCNN4/KCa3.1, improves tissue protection and locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury. J Neurosci. 2011 Nov 9;31(45):16298-308.

Murai KK, Pasquale EB. Eph receptors and ephrins in neuron-astrocyte communication at synapses. Glia. 2011 Nov;59(11):1567-78. 

October 2011

CRN Publications

Ciura S, Liedtke W, Bourque CW. Hypertonicity sensing in organum vasculosum lamina terminalis neurons: a mechanical process involving TRPV1 but not TRPV4. J Neurosci. 2011 Oct 12;31(41):14669-76.

Cook D, Sanchez-Carbente Mdel R, Lachance C, Radzioch D, Tremblay S, Khandjian EW, DesGroseillers L,Murai KK. Fragile X related protein 1 clusters with ribosomes and messenger RNAs at a subset of dendritic spines in the mouse hippocampus. PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e26120. 

September 2011

CRN Publications

Costa RP, Sjöström PJ. One cell to rule them all, and in the dendrites bind them. Front Synaptic Neurosci. 2011;3:5. 

Panatier A, Vallée J, Haber M, Murai KK, Lacaille JC, Robitaille R. Astrocytes are endogenous regulators of basal transmission at central synapses. Cell. 2011 Sep 2;146(5):785-98.

Rathore KI, Berard JL, Redensek A, Chierzi S, Lopez-Vales R, Santos M, Akira S, David S. Lipocalin 2 plays an immunomodulatory role and has detrimental effects after spinal cord injury. J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 21;31(38):13412-9.

Schulz K, Vulpe CD, Harris LZ, David S. Iron efflux from oligodendrocytes is differentially regulated in gray and white matter. J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 14;31(37):13301-11.

August 2011

CRN Publications

Markram H, Gerstner W, Sjöström PJ. A history of spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Front Synaptic Neurosci. 2011;3:4.

June 2011

Congratulations to Drs. Antje Kroner and Sam David for publishing "Repertoire of microglial and macrophage responses after spinal cord injury" in Nature Reviews in Neuroscience in June (see CRN Headlines for more details on this publication).

Congratulations to Dr. Yann Bernardinelli, Chris Salmon, Dr. Emma Jones, Dr. Todd Farmer, Dr. David Stellwagen, and Dr. Keith Murai for having their publication "Astrocytes display complex and localized calcium responses to single-neuron stimulation in the hippocampus" featured in the June 15th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience and for having an image selected for the cover photo.

CRN Publications

Bernardinelli Y, Salmon C, Jones EV, Farmer WT, Stellwagen D, Murai KK. Astrocytes display complex and localized calcium responses to single-neuron stimulation in the hippocampus. J Neurosci. 2011 Jun 15;31(24):8905-19

David S, Kroner A. Repertoire of microglial and macrophage responses after spinal cord injury. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2011 Jun 15;12(7):388-99.

May 2011

The CRN would like express our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. David Colman, Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, who passed away June 1, 2011. For those of us who had the pleasure to know him, Dr. Colman will be greatly missed for his dedication, good humor and important contributions to our neuroscience community.

April 2011

CRN Publications

Fernandes C, Rao Y. Genome-wide screen for modifiers of Parkinson's disease genes in Drosophila. Mol Brain. 2011 Apr 19;4(1):17.

Neufeld SQ, Hibbert AD, Chen BE. Opposing Roles of PlexinA and PlexinB in Axonal Branch and Varicosity Formation. Mol Brain. 2011 Apr 13;4(1):15.

Redensek A, Rathore KI, Berard JL, López-Vales R, Swayne LA, Bennett SA, Mohri I, Taniike M, Urade Y, David S. Expression and detrimental role of hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase in spinal cord contusion injury. Glia. 2011 Apr;59(4):603-14.

March 2011

Congratulations to Drs. Sal Carbonetto (Principal Investigator), Brian Chen, Sam David, Keith Murai, Yong Rao, and Don van Meyel for receiving infrastructure funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the project titled “Confocal laser scanning microscope for high-resolution, 3-dimensional imaging in neuroscience."

The CRN congratulates Dr. Keith Murai for receiving a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a project titled, "Crosstalk between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitter systems during synapse development in the brain."

CRN Publications

Jones EV, Bernardinelli Y, Tse YC, Chierzi S, Wong TP, Murai KK. Astrocytes control glutamate receptor levels at developing synapses through SPARC-beta-integrin interactions. JJ Neurosci. 2011 Mar 16;31(11):4154-65.

February 2011

Dr. Brian Chen is the recipient of a 2011 Sloan Research Fellowship provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This award recognizes outstanding scholars in the fields of science, mathematics, economics and computer science. The CRN congratulates Dr. Chen on receiving this prestigious award.

January 2011

The CRN congratulates Dr. Eric Trudel for receiving the inaugural Medstar Award from McGill University. This award helps recognize excellent research performed at the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Trudel received this award through his groundbreaking work on the role of the body's central clock in regulating vasopressin neurons in the hypothalamus (Nature Neuroscience (2010) 13:467-74).

CRN Publications

Stellwagen D. The contribution of TNFα to synaptic plasticity and nervous system function. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011;691:541-57.


 

2010

December 2010

CRN Publications

Sudbury JR, Ciura S, Sharif-Naeini R, Bourque CW. Osmotic and thermal control of magnocellular neurosecretory neurons--role of an N-terminal variant of trpv1. Eur J Neurosci. 2010 Dec;32(12):2022-30.

Murai KK, Pasquale EB. Restraining stem cell niche plasticity: a new talent of Eph receptors. Cell Stem Cell. 2010 Dec 3;7(6):647-8.

November 2010

CRN founder, Dr. Albert Aguayo, is inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. The CRN would like to congratulate Dr. Aguayo on this tremendous career achievement.

The CRN congratulates Dr. Yong Rao for receiving a grant from the China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative for a project titled, "Genetic and drug screen for modulators of aggressive behavior in genetic model systems."

CRN Publications

Berard JL, Kerr BJ, Johnson HM, David S. Differential expression of SOCS1 in macrophages in relapsing-remitting and chronic EAE and its role in disease severity. Glia. 2010 Nov 15;58(15):1816-26.

Camp D, Currie K, Labbé A, van Meyel DJ, Charron F. Ihog and Boi are essential for Hedgehog signaling in Drosophila. Neural Dev. 2010 Nov 2;5:28.

October 2010

CRN Publications

Cameron S, Rao Y. Molecular mechanisms of tiling and self-avoidance in neural development. Mol Brain. 2010 Oct 11;3(1):28.

Ghasemlou N, Lopez-Vales R, Lachance C, Thuraisingam T, Gaestel M, Radzioch D, David S. Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) contributes to secondary damage after spinal cord injury. J Neurosci. 2010 Oct 13;30(41):13750-9.

Stacey SM, Muraro NI, Peco E, Labbé A, Thomas GB, Baines RA, van Meyel DJ. Drosophila glial glutamate transporter Eaat1 is regulated by fringe-mediated notch signaling and is essential for larval locomotion. J Neurosci. 2010 Oct 27;30(43):14446-57.

September 2010

CRN Publications

Yu L, Zhou Y, Cheng S, Rao Y. Plexin a-semaphorin-1a reverse signaling regulates photoreceptor axon guidance in Drosophila. J Neurosci. 2010 Sep 8;30(36):12151-6.

June 2010

CRN Publications

Houalla T, Shi L, van Meyel DJ, Rao Y. Rab-mediated vesicular transport is required for neuronal positioning in the developing Drosophila visual system. Mol Brain. 2010 Jun 11;3:19.

May 2010

Dr. Sam David is elected as Vice President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN). Other members of the CAN executive include Dr. Yves De Koninck (President, U. Laval); Dr. Jaideep Bains (Secretary, U. Calgary); and Dr. Keith Murai (Treasurer).

The CRN congratulates Denise Cook, Scott Cameron and Dr. Emma Jones for their recent publication in the Journal of Neuroscience reviewing the role of Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein in regulating protein translation in neurons.

CRN Publications

Zhan Y, Melian NY, Pantoja M, Haines N, Ruohola-Baker H, Bourque CW, Rao Y, Carbonetto S. Dystroglycan and mitochondrial ribosomal protein l34 regulate differentiation in the Drosophila eye.PLoS One. 2010 May 5;5(5):e10488.

Cook D, Cameron S, Jones EV. Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein: Regulator of Specific mRNAs or Master Regulator of Global Translation? J Neurosci. 2010 May 26;30(21):7121-3.

April 2010

Dr. Michael Rasminsky receives the honorific title of Emeritus Professor at McGill University. The CRN congratulates Dr. Rasminsky on this tremendous achievement.

The CRN congratulates Dr. David Stellwagen for receiving a CIHR New Investigator Salary Award

CRN Publications

Bouvier D, Tremblay ME, Riad M, Corera AT, Gingras D, Horn KE, Fotouhi M, Girard M, Murai KK, Kennedy TE, McPherson PS, Pasquale EB, Fon EA, Doucet G. EphA4 is localized in clathrin-coated and synaptic vesicles in adult mouse brain. J Neurochem. 2010 Apr;113(1):153-65.

Trudel E, Bourque CW. Central clock excites vasopressin neurons by waking osmosensory afferents during late sleep. Nat Neurosci. 2010 Apr;13(4):467-74.

March 2010

CRN Publications

López-Vales R, Redensek A, Skinner TA, Rathore KI, Ghasemlou N, Wojewodka G, DeSanctis J, Radzioch D, David S. Fenretinide promotes functional recovery and tissue protection after spinal cord contusion injury in mice. J Neurosci. 2010 Mar 3;30(9):3220-6.

February 2010

Research from the laboratory of Dr. Charles Bourque discovers how the body prevents itself from dehydration during the night by modifying the activity of specific neural circuits in the brain that control fluid balance. See the official press release below by the journal Nature.

Nature Press Office

Neuroscience: Getting through the night without a drink

DOI: 10.1038/nn.2503

The changes which our body orchestrates that prevent dehydration at night, when we sleep are reported in a study published online this week in Nature Neuroscience. The amount of water retained by the body is controlled by vasopressin, a hormone released by neurosecretory cells in a brain area known as the hypothalamus. These cells are activated by osmosensory cells, which track the concentration of water in blood. The hypothalamus also contains cells that form the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is thought to contain a central body clock. Daily, rhythmic changes in the activity of the cells in this nucleus influences all of the body's daily rhythms, from when we feel hungry to when we feel sleepy. Eric Trudel and Charles Bourque studied the connection between these three groups of cells. They found that late at night, the connection between the water-sensing osmosensory cells and the vasopressin-releasing neurosecretory cells grows stronger, so that even slight dehydration results in a greater release of vasopressin. Also at this time of the night, activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus reduces. The team artificially increased the firing of the suprachiasmatic nucleus cells and found that the connection between the osmosensory and neurosecretory cells grew weaker. These results suggest that that activation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus weakens the connection between osmosensory and neurosecretory cells, acting like a 'brake.' During the day, we can remedy low water concentrations merely by drinking some water. However, when we sleep during the night, the activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus reduces, releasing the 'brake', and allowing more water retention.

CRN Publications

Prager-Khoutorsky M, Bourque CW. Osmosensation in vasopressin neurons: changing actin density to optimize function. Trends Neurosci. 2010 Feb;33(2):76-83.

January 2010

CRN Publications

Ghasemlou N, Bouhy D, Yang J, López-Vales R, Haber M, Thuraisingam T, He G, Radzioch D, Ding A, David S. Beneficial effects of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor after spinal cord injury. Brain. 2010 Jan;133(Pt 1):126-38.

Girolami EI, Bouhy D, Haber M, Johnson H, David S.Differential expression and potential role of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in Wallerian degeneration in injured peripheral nerve. Exp Neurol. (In Press).

López-Vales R, Redensek A, Skinner TAA, Rathore KI, Ghasemlou N, Wojewodka G, DeSanctis J, Radzioch D, David S. Fenretinide promotes functional recovery and tissue protection after spinal cord contusion injury in mice. Journal of Neuroscience (In Press).

 


2009

December 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Chen who has been appointed the Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Neural Circuit Formation. He also received funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the construction of a "Facility for High-Resolution in vivo Imaging of Synapse Dynamics in Multiple Model Systems."

CRN Publications

Prager-Khoutorsky M, Bourque CW. Osmosensation in vasopressin neurons: changing actin density to optimize function. Trends Neurosci. 2009 Dec 4. E-Pub ahead of print

November 2009

CRN Publications

Ferguson K, Long H, Cameron S, Chang WT, Rao Y. The conserved Ig superfamily member Turtle mediates axonal tiling in Drosophila. J Neurosci. 2009 Nov 11;29(45):14151-9.

Venderova K, Kabbach G, Abdel-Messih E, Zhang Y, Parks RJ, Imai Y, Gehrke S, Ngsee J, Lavoie MJ, Slack RS, Rao Y, Zhang Z, Lu B, Haque ME, Park DS. Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 interacts with Parkin, DJ-1 and PINK-1 in a Drosophila melanogaster model of Parkinson's disease. Hum Mol Genet. 2009 Nov 15;18(22):4390-404.

October 2009

CRN Publications

Long H, Ou Y, Rao Y, van Meyel DJ. Dendrite branching and self-avoidance are controlled by Turtle, a conserved IgSF protein in Drosophila. Development. 2009 Oct;136(20):3475-84.

September 2009

CRN Publications

Berard JL, Wolak K, Fournier S, David S. Characterization of relapsing-remitting and chronic forms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 mice. Glia. 2009 Sep 24;58(4):434-445.

Fry EJ, Chagnon MJ, López-Vales R, Tremblay ML, David S.Corticospinal tract regeneration after spinal cord injury in receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma deficient mice. Glia. 2009 Sep 24;58(4):423-433.

July 2009

CRN Publications

Carmona MA, Murai KK, Wang L, Roberts AJ, Pasquale EB. Glial ephrin-A3 regulates hippocampal dendritic spine morphology and glutamate transport. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jul 28;106(30):12524-9.

Haber M, Vautrin S, Fry EJ, Murai KK. Subtype-specific oligodendrocyte dynamics in organotypic culture. Glia. 2009 Jul;57(9):1000-13.

June 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Don van Meyel who received a three year Hugh and Helen McPherson Memorial Award through the McGill Faculty of Medicine.

The CRN congratulates Jessica Sudbury in the lab of Dr. Charles Bourque who received a 3 year Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award from CIHR.

The CRN congratulates Dr. Masha Khoutorsky in the lab of Dr. Charles Bourque who received a 2 year Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

May 2009

CRN Publications

Kalyvas A, Baskakis C, Magrioti V, Constantinou-Kokotou V, Stephens D, López-Vales R, Lu JQ, Yong VW, Dennis EA, Kokotos G, David S. Differing roles for members of the phospholipase A2 superfamily in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Brain. 2009 May;132(Pt 5):1221-35.

April 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Don van Meyel who was awarded a multi-year NSERC Discovery Grant titled: "Discovery and analysis of genes that govern axon guidance in the developing nervous system"

Congratulations to Dr. Sam David and colleagues who were awarded a 6 year CIHR grant for an "Integrated Training Program in Basic and Clinical Aspects of Neuroinflammation."

February 2009

CRN Publications

Tremblay ME, Riad M, Chierzi S, Murai KK, Pasquale EB, Doucet G. Developmental course of EphA4 cellular and subcellular localization in the postnatal rat hippocampus. J Comp Neurol. 2009 Feb 20;512(6):798-813.

January 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Don van Meyel who received a 5 year grant from CIHR titled, "Glial cell differentiation, function and neuron-glial interactions in the CNS."

Congratulations to Dr. Sam David who received a 5 year grant from CIHR titled, "Molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and resolution of macrophage activation in the nervous system: implications for neural injury and repair."

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Brian Chen (Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery and Medicine) at the Centre for Research in Neuroscience. Dr. Chen obtained his Ph.D. at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and performed postdoctoral work at Harvard. His research is focused on understanding mechanisms involved in brain wiring and plasticity using invertebrate and vertebrate model systems.

CRN Publications

Schmucker D, Chen B. Dscam and DSCAM: complex genes in simple animals, complex animals yet simple genes. Genes Dev. 2009 Jan 15;23(2):147-56.

Jeong SY, Rathore KI, Schulz K, Ponka P, Arosio P, David S. Dysregulation of iron homeostasis in the CNS contributes to disease progression in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurosci. 2009 Jan 21;29(3):610-9.

 


2008

December 2008

CRN Publications

Piton A, Michaud JL, Peng H, Aradhya S, Gauthier J, Mottron L, Champagne N, Lafrenière RG, Hamdan FF; S2D team, Joober R, Fombonne E, Marineau C, Cossette P, Dubé MP, Haghighi P, Drapeau P, Barker PA, Carbonetto S, Rouleau GA. Mutations in the calcium-related gene IL1RAPL1 are associated with autism. Hum Mol Genet. 2008 Dec 15;17(24):3965-74.

Salomon SN, Haber M, Murai KK, Dunn RJ. Localization of the Diaphanous-related formin Daam1 to neuronal dendrites. Neurosci Lett. 2008 Dec 5;447(1):62-7.

Novemeber 2008

CRN Publications

Martini R, Fischer S, López-Vales R, David S. Interactions between Schwann cells and macrophages in injury and inherited demyelinating disease. Glia. 2008 Nov 1;56(14):1566-77.

Rathore KI, Kerr BJ, Redensek A, López-Vales R, Jeong SY, Ponka P, David S. Ceruloplasmin protects injured spinal cord from iron-mediated oxidative damage. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 26;28(48):12736-47.

September 2008

Drs. Stellwagen and Murai receive a 2 year NIH grant to study the role of glial-derived TNF-alpha in regulating the structural and functional properties of synapses in response to drugs of abuse.

CRN Publications

Martini R, Fischer S, López-Vales R, David S. Interactions between Schwann cells and macrophages in injury and inherited demyelinating disease. Glia. 2008 Sep 19;56(14):1566-1577.

Piton A, Michaud JL, Peng H, Aradhya S, Gauthier J, Mottron L, Champagne N, Lafrenière RG, Hamdan FF; S2D team, Joober R, Fombonne E, Marineau C, Cossette P, Dubé MP, Haghighi P, Drapeau P, Barker PA, Carbonetto S, Rouleau GA. Mutations in the calcium-related gene IL1RAPL1 are associated with autism. Hum Mol Genet. 2008 Sep 18. [Epub ahead of print]

Sharif-Naeini R, Ciura S, Stachniak TJ, Trudel E, Bourque CW. Neurophysiology of supraoptic neurons in C57/BL mice studied in three acute in vitro preparations. Prog Brain Res. 2008;170:229-42.

Zhou C, Rao Y, Rao Y. A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression. Nat Neurosci. 2008 Sep;11(9):1059-67.

Zhang Z, Bourque CW. Amplification of transducer gain by angiotensin II-mediated enhancement of cortical actin density in osmosensory neurons. J Neurosci. 2008 Sep 17;28(38):9536-44.

August 2008

CRN Publications

López-Vales R, Navarro X, Shimizu T, Baskakis C, Kokotos G, Constantinou-Kokotou V, Stephens D, Dennis EA, David S. Intracellular phospholipase A2 group IVA and group VIA play important roles in Wallerian degeneration and axon regeneration after peripheral nerve injury. Brain. 2008 Aug 21.

July 2008

Congratulations to Dr. Yann Bernardinelli (Murai Lab) who received a 1.5 year fellowship from the Fonds National Suisse De La Recherche Scientifique to study the role of glial cells in synaptic function.

CRN Publications

Bourque CW. Central mechanisms of osmosensation and systemic osmoregulation. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008 Jul;9(7):519-31. Epub 2008 May 29.

Bouvier D, Corera AT, Tremblay ME, Riad M, Chagnon M, Murai KK, Pasquale EB, Fon EA, Doucet G. Pre-synaptic and post-synaptic localization of EphA4 and EphB2 in adult mouse forebrain. J Neurochem. 2008 Jul;106(2):682-95.

Ou Y, Chwalla B, Landgraf M, van Meyel DJ. Identification of genes influencing dendrite morphogenesis in developing peripheral sensory and central motor neurons. Neural Develop. 2008 Jul 10;3:16.

June 2008

CRN Publications

Kaneko M, Stellwagen D, Malenka RC, Stryker MP. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha mediates one component of competitive, experience-dependent plasticity in developing visual cortex. Neuron. 2008 Jun 12;58(5):673-80.

May 2008

CRN Publications

David S, Fry EJ, López-Vales R. Novel roles for Nogo receptor in inflammation and disease. Trends Neurosci. 2008 May;31(5):221-6.

April 2008

Congratulations to the members of the Bourque Laboratory who recently received independent fellowships. Jessica Sudbury received a Doctoral Award from the FRSQ (Fonds de la Recherche en Sante du Quebec) and Tevye Stachniak was awarded a Doctoral Award from the HSFC (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada).

CRN Publications

Bouvier D, Corera AT, Tremblay ME, Riad M, Chagnon M, Murai KK, Pasquale EB, Fon EA, Doucet G. Presynaptic and postsynaptic localization of EphA4 and EphB2 in adult mouse forebrain. J Neurochem. 2008 Apr 12; [Epub ahead of print]

David S, Fry EJ, López-Vales R. Novel roles for Nogo receptor in inflammation and disease. Trends Neurosci. 2008 Apr 3. [Epub ahead of print]

Murai KK, Pasquale EB. Neuroscience. Axons seek neighborly advice. Science. 2008 Apr 11;320(5873):185-6.

Peng H, Shah W, Holland P, Carbonetto S. Integrins and dystroglycan regulate astrocyte wound healing: The integrin beta1 subunit is necessary for process extension and orienting the microtubular network. Dev Neurobiol. 2008 Apr;68(5):559-74.

Sharif-Naeini R, Ciura S, Bourque CW. TRPV1 gene required for thermosensory transduction and anticipatory secretion from vasopressin neurons during hyperthermia. Neuron. 2008 Apr 24;58(2):179-85.

Sharif-Naeini R, Ciura S, Zhang Z, Bourque CW. Contribution of TRPV channels to osmosensory transduction, thirst, and vasopressin release. Kidney Int. 2008 Apr;73(7):811-5.

Tahvildari B, Alonso AA, Bourque CW. Ionic Basis of ON and OFF Persistent Activity in Layer III Lateral Entorhinal Cortical Principal Neurons. J Neurophysiol. 2008 Apr;99(4):2006-11.

March 2008

CRN Publications

Kerr BJ, Girolami EI, Ghasemlou N, Jeong SY, David S. The protective effects of 15-deoxy-delta-(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 in spinal cord injury. Glia. 2008 Mar;56(4):436-48.

January 2008

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. David Stellwagen as an Assistant Profesor in the Departments of Medicine and Neurology and the Centre for Research in Neuroscience. Dr. Stellwagen obtained a B.Sc. from Brown University and a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at Berkeley. He has 13 publications focused largely on understanding the mechanisms of synaptic remodeling in the brain.


2007

December 2007

CRN Publications

Murai, KK, van Meyel, D.J. Neuron-glial communication at synapses: insights from vertebrates and invertebrates. The Neuroscientist. 2007 Dec;13(6):657-66.

Richter M, Murai KK, Bourgin C, Pak DT, Pasquale EB. The EphA4 receptor regulates neuronal morphology through SPAR-mediated inactivation of Rap GTPases. J Neurosci. 2007 Dec 19;27(51):14205-15.

November 2007

CRN Publications

Brown CH, Scott V, Ludwig M, Leng G, Bourque CW. Somatodendritic dynorphin release: orchestrating activity patterns of vasopressin neurons. Biochem Soc Trans. 2007 Nov;35(Pt 5):1236-42.

September 2007

CRN Publications

Bourgin C, Murai KK, Richter M, Pasquale EB. The EphA4 receptor regulates dendritic spine remodeling by affecting beta1-integrin signaling pathways. J Cell Biol. 2007 Sep 24;178(7):1295-307.

Khawaja FA, Alonso AA, Bourque CW. Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) currents and spike-frequency adaptation in medial entorhinal cortex layer II stellate cells. Hippocampus. 2007;17(12):1143-8.

Stacey, S, Thomas, GB, Labbe, A, van Meyel, DJ. Longitudinal glia in the fly CNS: pushing the envelope on glial diversity and neuron-glial interactions Neuron-Glia Biology 2007 3(1):27-33.

August 2007

Drs. Louis Eric-Trudeau (U. of Montreal), Yong Rao (CRN), Edward Fon (MNI), David Park (U. Ottawa), Heidi McBride (U. Ottawa), and Michael Schlossmacher (U. Ottawa) receive a three year Team Grant Award from Neuroscience Canada Titled, "Mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal demise: insights provided by Parkinson's disease genes." The award is for $1,500,000 over the 2007-2010 period.

CRN Publications

Kerr BJ, David S. Pain behaviors after spinal cord contusion injury in two commonly used mouse strains. Exp Neurol. 2007 Aug;206(2):240-7.

Mindorff, EN, O'Keefe DD, Labbe, A, Yang, JP, Ou, Y, Yoshikawa, S, van Meyel, DJ. A gain-of-function screen for genes that influence axon guidance identifies the NF-kappaB protein Dorsal and reveals a requirement for the kinase Pelle in Drosophila photoreceptor axon targeting Genetics. 2007 176(4):2247-63.

July 2007

CRN Publications

Ellis LD, Krahe R, Bourque CW, Dunn RJ, Chacron MJ. Muscarinic receptors control frequency tuning through the downregulation of an A-type potassium current. J Neurophysiol. 2007 Jul 5 [e-pub ahead of print].

June 2007

Drs. Rob Dunn and Pierre Drapeau (University of Montreal) receive a five year grant from CIHR on "Developmental plasticity of the spinal cord synaptic drive."

CRN Publications

De Domenico I, Ward DM, di Patti MC, Jeong SY, David S, Musci G, Kaplan J. Ferroxidase activity is required for the stability of cell surface ferroportin in cells expressing GPI-ceruloplasmin. EMBO J. 2007 Jun 20;26(12):2823-31.

May 2007

CRN Publications

Bourque CW, Ciura S, Trudel E, Stachniak TJ, Sharif-Naeini R. Neurophysiological characterisation of osmosensitive neurons. Exp Physiol. 2007 May;92(3):499-505.

Kerr BJ, David S. Pain behaviors after spinal cord contusion injury in two commonly used mouse strains. Exp Neurol. 2007 May 21 [Epub ahead of print].

Zhou L, Martinez SJ, Haber M, Jones EV, Bouvier D, Doucet G, Corera AT, Fon EA, Zisch AH, Murai KK. EphA4 signaling regulates phospholipase Cgamma1 activation, cofilin membrane association, and dendritic spine morphology. J Neurosci. 2007 May 9;27(19):5127-38.

April 2007

CRN Publications

Zhang Z, Kindrat AN, Sharif-Naeini R, Bourque CW. Actin filaments mediate mechanical gating during osmosensory transduction in rat supraoptic nucleus neurons. J Neurosci. 2007 Apr 11; 27(15): 4008-4013.

Tremblay ME, Riad M, Bouvier D, Murai KK, Pasquale EB, Descarries L, Doucet G. Localization of EphA4 in axon terminals and dendritic spines of adult rat hippocampus. J Comp Neurol. 2007 Apr 10;501(5):691-702.

March 2007

Glezer I, Chernomoretz A, David S, Plante MM, Rivest S. Genes Involved in the Balance between Neuronal Survival and Death during Inflammation. PLoS ONE. 2007 Mar 21;2:e310.

Reza Sharif-Naeini from the lab of Dr. Charles Bourque was recently awarded CIHR's Brain Star Award (seehttp://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/33053.html). Reza was also recently awarded a prestigious Human Frontiers Long Term Fellowship Award for Postdoctoral studies to be pursued in France.

A recent paper by Graham Thomas and Dr. Don van Meyel was selected as a Research Highlight in the March 2007 Update of Nature Publishing Group's Functional Glycomics Gateway.

CRN Publications

Fry EJ, Ho C, David S. A role for Nogo receptor in macrophage clearance from injured peripheral nerve. Neuron. 2007 Mar 1;53(5):649-62.

February 2007

Dr. Keith Murai receives a five year grant from CIHR on "Neuron-glial mechanisms that regulate synaptic morphology and function."

CRN Publications

Ghasemlou N, Jeong SY, Lacroix S, David S. T cells contribute to lysophosphatidylcholine-induced macrophage activation and demyelination in the CNS. Glia. 2007 Feb;55(3):294-302.

Thomas GB, van Meyel DJ. The glycosyltransferase Fringe promotes Delta-Notch signaling between neurons and glia, and is required for subtype-specific glial gene expression. Development. 2007 Feb;134(3):591-600.

January 2007

CRN investigators Drs. Sal Carbonetto, Yong Rao, Don van Meyel and Keith Murai, and investigators Drs. Patrick Cossette (University of Montreal, Neurology), Chieh Chang (McGill, Biology), David Juncker (McGill, Biomedical Engineering), Anne McKinney (McGill, Pharmacology), and Guy Rouleau (Univ. of Montreal, Neurology), receive a 5 year award for a team grant titled "Reorganization of Brain Microcircuits" from CIHR (Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Initiative).


2006

December 2006

CRN Publications

Sharif Naeini R, Ciura S, Bourque CW. TRPVs: ion channels that make you thirsty! Med Sci (Paris). 2006 Dec;22(12):1035-1037.

September 2006

CRN Publications

Jeong SY, David S. Age-related changes in iron homeostasis and cell death in the cerebellum of ceruloplasmin-deficient mice. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9810-9.

August 2006

CRN Publications

Ciura S, Bourque CW. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 is required for intrinsic osmoreception in organum vasculosum lamina terminalis neurons and for normal thirst responses to systemic hyperosmolality. J. Neurosci. 2006 August 30;26(35):9069-9075.

Haber M, Zhou L, Murai KK. Cooperative Astrocyte and Dendritic Spine Dynamics at Hippocampal Excitatory Synapses. J. Neurosci. 2006 August 30;26(35):8881-8891.

Research studies from the laboratories of Dr. Charles Bourque and Dr. Keith Murai are picked as featured articles for the August 30th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

July 2006

Dr. Don van Meyel receives a one year Development / Planning Grant (International Opportunities Program) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Institute of Genetics) on "Genetic control of the development of dendrites."

Dr. Sal Carbonetto receives a three year grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Neuromuscular Research Partnership on "Dystroglycan function and dysfunction in the fly CNS."

June 2006

Dr. Sal Carbonetto receives a three year grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association on "Dystroglycan in neuromuscular synapse formation."

CRN Publications

McDearmid JR, Liao M, Drapeau P. Glycine receptors regulate interneuron differentiation during spinal network development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jun 20;103(25):9679-84.

Mehaffey WH, Fernandez FR, Rashid AJ, Dunn RJ, Turner RW. Distribution and function of potassium channels in the electrosensory lateral line lobe of weakly electric apteronotid fish. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2006 Jun;192(6):637-48.

Panatier A, Gentles SJ, Bourque CW, Oliet SH. Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the supraoptic nucleus of the rat hypothalamus. J Physiol. 2006 Jun 15;573(Pt 3):711-21.

May 2006

CRN Publications

Brown CH, Leng G, Ludwig M, Bourque CW. Endogenous Activation of Supraoptic Nucleus {kappa}-Opioid Receptors Terminates Spontaneous Phasic Bursts in Rat Magnocellular Neurosecretory Cells. J Neurophysiol. 2006 May;95(5):3235-44.

Chakfe Y, Zhang Z, Bourque CW. IL-1beta directly excites isolated rat supraoptic neurons via upregulation of the osmosensory cation current. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006 May;290(5):R1183-90.

Tremblay MR, Carbonetto S. An extracellular pathway for dystroglycan function in acetylcholine receptor aggregation and laminin deposition in skeletal myotubes. J Biol Chem. 2006 May 12;281(19):13365-73.

April 2006

Dr. Yong Rao receives a Chercheurs-Boursiers (Senior Level) from the FRSQ on "Établissement de circuits neuronaux durant le développement"

CRN Publications

Cafferty P, Yu L, Long H, Rao Y. Semaphorin-1a functions as a guidance receptor in the Drosophila visual system. J Neurosci. 2006 Apr 12;26(15):3999-4003.

March 2006

CRN Publications

Long H, Cameron S, Yu L, Rao Y. De novo GMP synthesis is required for axon guidance in Drosophila. Genetics. 2006 Mar;172(3):1633-42.

Shah WA, Peng H, Carbonetto S. Role of non-raft cholesterol in lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection via alpha-dystroglycan. J Gen Virol. 2006 Mar;87(Pt 3):673-8.

Zhang Z, Bourque CW. Calcium permeability and flux through osmosensory transduction channels of isolated rat supraoptic nucleus neurons. Eur J Neurosci. 2006 Mar;23(6):1491-500.

February 2006

CRN Publications

Brown CH, Bourque CW. Mechanisms of rhythmogenesis: insights from hypothalamic vasopressin neurons. Trends Neurosci. 2006 Feb;29(2):108-15.

Stachniak TJ, Bourque CW. Visually guided whole cell patch clamp of mouse supraoptic nucleus neurons in cultured and acute conditions. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006 Feb 9.

January 2006

Dr. Samuel David receives a Proof of Principle Grant from the CIHR on "Pre-clinical testing of novel phospholipase A2 inhibitors for the treatment of multiple sclerosis"

Dr. Keith Murai receives a Scholar Research Award from The EJLB Foundation on "Characterizing dynamic neuron-glial interactions that regulate synapse structure and function"

CRN Publications

Haber M, Murai KK. Reshaping neuron-glial communication at hippocampal synapses. Neuron Glia Biology 2006 Jan;2:59-66.

McDearmid JR, Drapeau P. Rhythmic motor activity evoked by NMDA in the spinal zebrafish larva. J Neurophysiol. 2006 Jan;95(1):401-17.

Sharif Naeini R, Witty MF, Seguela P, Bourque CW. An N-terminal variant of Trpv1 channel is required for osmosensory transduction. Nat Neurosci. 2006 Jan;9(1):93-8.


2005

December 2005

CRN Publications

Deng Q, Rashid AJ, Fernandez FR, Turner RW, Maler L, Dunn RJ. A C-terminal domain directs Kv3.3 channels to dendrites. J Neurosci. 2005 Dec 14;25(50):11531-41.

 
 
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