Biochemistry & Biophysics Biology Seminar with Professor Kenneth Colodner. Mount Holyoke College, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior.

Seminar Title:  "Neuronal-Glial Interactions in a Drosophila Model of Tauopathy" 

Research in the Colodner Lab is directed towards understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tau toxicity in the context of tauopathies.  Tauopathies, which include Alzheimer's disease, are a class of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the abnormal accumulation of  tau protein in neuronal and glial cells.  Our lab overexpresses the human tau protein in the brain of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to interrogate pathways that promote tau toxicity in a genetically pliable model. This talk will highlight our current studies utilizing genetic, pharmacological and behavioral assays to understand how tau disrupts neuronal-glial cell signaling in the fly brain.