Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and the genetic susceptibility for central nervous system disorders.

AGUSTÍN ANASTASÍA GONZALEZ

Rio de Janeiro

Simposio; 18th TWAS ROLAC Young Scientist Conference; 2015

TWAS ROLAC

This presentation is about the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. BDNF is one of the most highly expressed and studied trophic factor in the mammalian brain. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the BDNF gene, which is observed in more than 25% of the human population, is associated with enhanced risk for depression, anxiety and with increased incidence of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson?s disease. Dr. Anastasia?s research has contributed to clarify the mechanisms by which a genetic variation alters neuronal function making the central nervous system more vulnerable to certain disorders. Moreover, the study sheds light into potential novel targets for future therapeutics.Agustin Anastasia is a Biologist (Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, UNC, Córdoba, Argentina) and PhD in Biological Sciences (UNC). From 2010 to 2015 he performed postdoctoral training at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University (New York, USA) under the supervision of Dr. Barbara L. Hempstead. In 2015 he started his own laboratory at the Instituto Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC) as an Assistant Investigator from the Argentinean National Research Council (CONICET). He is also a Professor of Cell Biology at the Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Biomédicas de Córdoba (IUCBC). He has published articles on Parkinson?s disease, enriched environment, electroconvulsive therapy, and different aspects of the biology of trophic factors. In particular he?s current interest is to elucidate the mechanisms of genetic susceptibility to certain neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases in relation to the central nervous system trophic support.