Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EU-GliaPhD (Training, Research and Raising of Public Awareness in Cell Biology and Pathology of Neuroglia)

Teaser

The brain, as the site of our personality, is the most vulnerable part of our body. Alone in Europe (EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland) with a population of 514 million citizens the direct and indirect costs of brain diseases have been estimated to be 800 billion...

Summary

The brain, as the site of our personality, is the most vulnerable part of our body. Alone in Europe (EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland) with a population of 514 million citizens the direct and indirect costs of brain diseases have been estimated to be 800 billion € per year. Since elucidation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain function is an absolutely important prerequisite to understand the respective pathophysiological mechanisms and to develop novel and better brain therapies, training and education of neuroscientists will be of paramount importance to the future prosperous development of the European countries.

The EU-GliaPhD ITN network will address three scientific and eight training objectives:

(1) Identifying communication pathways between neurons and glia, analysis of the diseased brain using epilepsy as a central paradigm, and developing better research instrumentation and therapy options.
(2) Advanced training in modern life science methodology, understanding of animal and disease models, skilled use of (in vivo) electrophysiological and imaging techniques, insights into product development of health and research industry, training in data analysis and statistical evaluation, modern supervision and mentoring for fair leadership skills, awareness of
intellectual property rights, and outreach activities for dissemination and communication in lay language to the general public.

Work performed

Within the first 12 months, all 15 ESRs were successfully recruited. The EU-GliaPhD consortium organized several common meetings such as the kickoff meeting 2016 and the annual meeting 2017 and 2018 in Germany and France. In May 2018, an international conference “Novel Routes for the Analysis of Epilepsy” was organized on Malta. At these meetings the ESRs received training in neuroscience research and in scientific presentations to expert and lay audiences. During round-table discussions, several lay persons with epilepsy (from UK and from Malta) described their life conditions, thereby visualizing the importance of research to treat neuropathologies, but also generating awareness for epilepsy as a particular condition in life. Several interesting scientific observations were made and first publications appeared.

One type of the prime glial cells of the brain, the astrocytes form extensive networks with intercellular communication channels. The strength of these networks appears to correlate with the structural complexity of astrocytes. Functionally, these networks are suggested to respond to visual input from the eye and to relay this information to respective motor behaviors.

In addition, the adult mouse cortex contains distinct types of interneurons that signal to astrocytes via the inhibitory transmitter GABA and induce either depressing or potentiating Ca2+ signals to trigger graded astrocyte responses. Thereby, neurotransmission in adjacent neuronal microcircuits is modulated. However, partner of the EU-GliaPhD network also discovered that astrocytes (now in the hippocampus) respond to the modulatory transmitter ATP that can evoke the release of glutamate to affect adjacent cells. Inflammatory stimulation of this pathway (e.g. by the tumor necrosis factor alpha released during the onset of epileptogenesis) can further enhance excitatory synaptic transmission during disease development.

Final results

At the scientific level, the EU-GliaPhD consortium will further deepen our understanding of brain functions, in particular to understand the initiation and progression of epilepsy. This advancement will be formed by combining and applying a series of latest-generation research instrumentations and methodologies. The consortium will uncover novel pathomechanisms to pave the way for better therapies. In addition, the consortium will significantly contribute to the development of improved research instrumentation and methodologies. It is expected that some of the research results will have the potential for commercial and clinical exploitation.

The largest impact of the training consortium, however, will be the education of 15 early stage researchers enthusiastically starting their career. These young scientists will strengthen the European research area by their dedication to individual projects, but also by their commitment for international collaboration and open communication to the public.

Figure: In brains with epileptic seizures, the close cooperation of neurons and adjacent glial cells is impaired. Identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms will help to develop novel options for better therapies.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.eu-gliaphd.eu/.