- Date and Time
- October 22, 2025, 5:00 p.m. -6:00 p.m.
- Place
- Juzen Studio, 2nd floor, Medical Library, Takara-machi Area, Takara-machi/Tsuruma campus, Kanazawa University
- Target Attendees
- * This seminar is accredited as the Up-to-date Seminar for the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (Doctoral Course).
Event Details
[Title] Exploring the Mechanisms of Brain Development and Regression through a Rett Syndrome Model
[Speaker] Aya Ishida, Ph.D. (Team Leader, RIKEN Center for Brain Science)
In order to elucidate the process of brain development and contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders, Dr. Ishida and her team are conducting research at the molecular, synaptic, and network levels, focusing on Rett syndrome, a single-gene disorder. Rett syndrome is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the MECP2 gene and is characterized by a phenomenon known as "regression," in which children develop normally until around 18 months of age, after which they begin to lose previously acquired functions.
However, clear answers have yet to be found to the questions: “What does MeCP2 do in neurons?” and “Why does the loss of MeCP2 lead to regression?”
Dr. Ishida and her colleagues have used mouse models to demonstrate that MeCP2 is essential for maintaining heterochromatin structure in neurons, and that specific types of inhibitory neurons are involved in the pathogenesis.
In recent years, they have also gained new insights into abnormalities in cortical networks that emerge during regression, through wide-field calcium imaging and whole-brain synapse analysis.
In this seminar, Dr. Ishida will present her research findings, offering insights into newly uncovered mechanisms of brain development and discussing their relevance to more common neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. We warmly invite you to take this valuable opportunity to attend.
[Location]
Click here for the map of Kanazawa University’s Takaramachi and Tsuruma Campus
- How to attend
- No registration is required. Please come directly to the venue on the day of the seminar.
- attachment
Contact
Professor Masaaki Nishiyama (Institute for Frontier Science Initiative) TEL: 076-265-2150 / Email: nishiyam(a)staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp *(a) should be replaced by @.
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