PhD seminars – Violetta Zujovic and Tara Spires-Jones

Friday 9 February

Venue: Centre Broca

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In the frame of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11th)

Open to everyone.

10:00 – Violetta Zujovic

Paris Brain Institute
https://institutducerveau-icm.org/en/member/?user=1265

A neuroscientific approach to reach gender equity

Abstract: Despite the increasing acceptance of egalitarian gender norms in democratic societies, a striking contrast persists in the current societal reality. One of the main reasons gender inequalities persist is the perpetuation of implicit biases and gender stereotypes. These shape the way we behave, our ability to recognize unequal treatment and the willingness of disadvantaged individuals to speak up. The neuroscience community is at the forefront of not only raising awareness of these unconscious biases, but also has the tools to understand their cognitive origins and thus the potential to break down social stereotypes.

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10:30 – Coffee break

11:20 – Marian Diamond Prize announcement

11:30 – Tara Spires-Jones

Prof. Tara Spires-Jones
University of Edinburgh
https://discovery-brain-sciences.ed.ac.uk/

Introduction about her journey in Neuroscience as a woman

Imaging synapses in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Synapse loss correlates strongly with the progression of symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of dementia, but mechanisms of synapse loss remain poorly understood.  Our group has observed the accumulation of pathological proteins amyloid beta, tau, and alpha synuclein within individual synapses in neurodegenerative diseases. Further, we find evidence of trans-synaptic spread of pathological proteins from pre to post synapses which contributes to the spread of pathology and neurodegeneration through the brain.  We also observe that astrocytes and microglia are important in synapse degeneration. Understanding synapse degeneration and the spread of pathological proteins through synapses will be important for developing disease modifying therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Bio

Tara Spires-Jones’ research focuses on the mechanisms and reversibility of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, other degenerative brain diseases, and ageing.   With a vibrant team of researchers, her work has shown that soluble forms of the pathological proteins amyloid beta and tau contribute to synapse and neurodegeneration, and that lowering levels of these proteins can ameliorate phenotypes in model systems. Her group has also discovered that pathological forms of tau spread through the brain via synaptic connections. Further, she has pioneered high-resolution imaging techniques in human post-mortem brain and found evidence that pathological proteins accumulate in synapses in human disease.

In addition to research, Prof Spires-Jones is passionate about communicating scientific findings to the public and policy makers; increasing the rigour and reproducibility in translational neuroscience; promoting inclusivity and diversity in science; and supporting career development of neuroscientists.  She is President of the British Neuroscience Association (2023-2025).

Selected publications

Colom-Cadena, M., Davies, C., Sirisi, S., Lee, J.-E., Simzer, E. M., Tzioras, M., Querol-Vilaseca, M., Sánchez-Aced, É., Chang, Y. Y., Holt, K., McGeachan, R. I., Rose, J., Tulloch, J., Wilkins, L., Smith, C., Andrian, T., Belbin, O., Pujals, S., Horrocks, M. H., … Spires-Jones, T. L. (2023). Synaptic oligomeric tau in Alzheimer’s disease—A potential culprit in the spread of tau pathology through the brain. Neuron, 111(14), 2170-2183.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.020

King, D., Holt, K., Toombs, J., He, X., Dando, O., Okely, J. A., Tzioras, M., Rose, J., Gunn, C., Correia, A., Montero, C., McAlister, H., Tulloch, J., Lamont, D., Taylor, A. M., Harris, S. E., Redmond, P., Cox, S. R., Henstridge, C. M., … Spires-Jones, T. L. (2023). Synaptic resilience is associated with maintained cognition during ageing. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 19(6), 2560–2574. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12894Tzioras, M., Daniels, M. J. D., Davies, C., Baxter, P., King, D., McKay, S., Varga, B., Popovic, K., Hernandez, M., Stevenson, A. J., Barrington, J., Drinkwater, E., Borella, J., Holloway, R. K., Tulloch, J., Moss, J., Latta, C., Kandasamy, J., Sokol, D., … Spires-Jones, T. L. (2023). Human astrocytes and microglia show augmented ingestion of synapses in Alzheimer’s disease via MFG-E8. Cell Reports Medicine, 101175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101175

Tzioras, M., McGeachan, R. I., Durrant, C. S., & Spires-Jones, T. L. (2023). Synaptic degeneration in Alzheimer disease. Nature Reviews. Neurology, 19(1), 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-022-00749-z

Pickett, E. K., Herrmann, A. G., McQueen, J., Abt, K., Dando, O., Tulloch, J., Jain, P., Dunnett, S., Sohrabi, S., Fjeldstad, M. P., Calkin, W., Murison, L., Jackson, R. J., Tzioras, M., Stevenson, A., d’Orange, M., Hooley, M., Davies, C., Colom-Cadena, M., … Spires-Jones, T. L. (2019). Amyloid Beta and Tau Cooperate to Cause Reversible Behavioral and Transcriptional Deficits in a Model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Cell Reports, 29(11), 3592-3604.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.044

Colom-Cadena, M., Pegueroles, J., Herrmann, A. G., Henstridge, C. M., Muñoz, L., Querol-Vilaseca, M., Martín-Paniello, C. S., Luque-Cabecerans, J., Clarimon, J., Belbin, O., Núñez-Llaves, R., Blesa, R., Smith, C., McKenzie, C.-A., Frosch, M. P., Roe, A., Fortea, J., Andilla, J., Loza-Alvarez, P., … Lleó, A. (2017). Synaptic phosphorylated α-synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies. Brain : A Journal of Neurology, 140(12), 3204–3214. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx275

 

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PhD seminars are organized by the NBA, Bordeaux Neurocampus, and the Bordeaux Neurocampus Graduate Program.

This special edition is coorganized by the Neurocampus Parity Commitee