Killam Seminar Series: The Role of Synapse Diversity

Professor of Molecular Neuroscience, Edinburgh University

The Role of Synapse Diversity and Synaptome Architecture in Behaviour and Disease

Abstract: The synaptome architecture (SA) encompasses the remarkable spatial arrangement and organization of diverse excitatory synapse types and subtypes within the mammalian brain. Diverse synapses are found within every dendrite, neuron and brain region. The SA provides a new framework for understanding how information, including behavioral patterns and cognitive representations, is encoded—shaped by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. In this lecture, we will explore the dynamic properties of the SA throughout the lifespan, examining how it is influenced by experience and sensory input, the effects of sleep deprivation on its daily functioning, and how genetic disorders target vulnerable synapses.

Bio: Seth Grant is Professor of Molecular Neuroscience at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Edinburgh University, UK. He is affiliated with Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain and UK Dementia Research Institute and is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science and Royal Society of Edinburgh. His work has been recognised in prestigious national and international awards. Prof. Grant’s research has made groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the neuroscience of learning, memory, and behavior, particularly by demonstrating how genetic disorders lead to synapse dysfunction and contribute to a wide range of developmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders. He is renowned for his pioneering studies in mouse genetics of behavior and the organization and evolution of the synapse proteome. His recent work, which examines the molecular composition and organization of individual synapses on a brain-wide scale, has established the new field of synaptomics, revealing fundamental insights into behavior across the lifespan and uncovering new mechanisms of cognition and disease.

Host or Publisher The Neuro