Molecular and neural architecture of circuits underlying social behavior in the mouse

  • Autism Research
Speaker Catherine Dulac, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Date & Time


Location

Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium
160 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10010 United States

Autism Research

Autism Research lectures bring together scientists and scholars to discuss diverse and important topics related to autism.

Video Thumbnail

By clicking to watch this video, you agree to our privacy policy.

 
On 28 October 2015, Catherine Dulac discussed the cellular and molecular architecture of neural circuits underlying instinctive social behaviors in mice.

Her talk was part of the Simons Foundation Autism Research lecture series.
 

About the Lecture

Severe mental disorders such autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and major depressive disorder are characterized by profound social impairments. There is little understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these social deficits, and efficient diagnosis and therapeutic options are lacking. Advanced molecular and genetic techniques have made the discovery of specific behavior circuits possible.

In this lecture, Catherine Dulac will discuss the cellular and molecular architecture of neural circuits underlying instinctive social behaviors of mice. She will describe her group’s recent advances in uncovering the identity of sensory neurons that detect social cues and the identity of command circuits associated with specific social responses in male and female mice.

About the Speaker

Catherine Dulac received her B.Sc. from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France, her Ph.D. from the University of Paris and was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. She has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 1997 and a Harvard faculty in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology since 1996 (Chair 2007-2013). She is a recipient of the Lounsbery, Perl-UNC Neuroscience, and Pradel Research Awards. Memberships include the National Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Sciences, and she is a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.

Past Lectures

How emotions shape our memories

Kelsey C. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.Executive Vice President, Autism and Neuroscience
Leonard Mlodinow, Ph.D.Physicist and Author

Have you ever contemplated the difference between a feeling, a thought and a memory? And how do all these things fit together in making us who we are?

Leonard Mlodinow is a theoretical physicist and best-selling author. In his latest book, “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking,” he unpacks the role emotions play in our thinking and mental well-being.

Kelsey Martin, director of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) and the foundation’s neuroscience collaborations, has spent much of her career as a neuroscientist seeking to understand better how experiences change brain connectivity to store long-term memories.

What do we mean by ‘autism risk genes’?

David Ledbetter, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, Dascena

Joseph Buxbaum, Ph.D.
Director, Seaver Autism Center
Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Genetics and Genomic Sciences
Vice Chair for Research and Vice Chair for Mentoring, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Heather Mefford, M.D., Ph.D.
Full Member, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

David Ledbetter and Joseph Buxbaum discussed whether there are genes for which mutations confer risk specific to autism or whether these genes are really conferring general risk of disrupted brain development. The discussion was moderated by Heather Mefford.

Small molecules, genes and antisense oligonucleotides: Industry perspectives on treatment development for ASD

Federico Bolognani, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Clinical Science, Axial Therapeutics

Stuart Cobb, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, Neurogene; Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Yael Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Business Development, Ultragenyx

Randy Carpenter, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Rett Syndrome Research Trust; Co-Founder, Allos Pharma

Federico Bolognani, Stuart Cobb, and Yael Weiss joined a panel to discuss new industry developments on the use of small molecules, gene therapy and antisense oligonucleotides as treatment approaches for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The panel discussion was moderated by Randall Carpenter.

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive SFARI funding announcements and news