CELL BIOLOGY OF THE NEURON Polarity ... - Tavernarakis Lab
CELL BIOLOGY OF THE NEURON Polarity ... - Tavernarakis Lab
CELL BIOLOGY OF THE NEURON Polarity ... - Tavernarakis Lab
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Cell Biology of the Neuron: <strong>Polarity</strong>, Plasticity and Regeneration, Crete 2011<br />
Development of the Corticospinal Tract: Integration<br />
into Spinal Circuitry Important for Coordinating<br />
Complex Motor Behaviors<br />
Kathryn Lewallen, Ariel Levine, Sam Pfaff<br />
Salk Institute<br />
The corticospinal tract (CST) forms the longest axon trajectory in the mammalian<br />
central nervous system, extending processes from the motor cortex to functional<br />
targets throughout the length of the spinal cord. As a graduate student in the<br />
laboratory of Dr. Sam Pfaff at the Salk Institute, I am interested in understanding<br />
how corticospinal motor neurons integrate intrinsic and extrinsic cues to carry out<br />
specified functions, such as coordinating complex motor behaviors. Specifically,<br />
my thesis project involves the identification of cellular players and molecules that<br />
direct synaptic specificity during development. I am using novel genetic tools<br />
combined with single axon fiber resolution to study the CST during axonal<br />
growth, synaptic target selection, and activity-dependent maturation. My analysis<br />
includes a comprehensive descriptive analysis of the CST in normal development<br />
and in mutants that perturb CST formation and axon guidance. By understanding<br />
the mechanisms that direct corticospinal connectivity, we can gain additional<br />
insight into the pathways that can be recapitulated in a regenerative context.<br />
Presented by: Lewallen, Kathryn<br />
145<br />
Poster No 063<br />
Blue Session