Event
BIOE Seminar: Pre-clinical Models of Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration
Friday, March 10, 2023
9:00 a.m.
A. James Clark Hall Forum
Dr. Alisa Clyne
aclyne@umd.edu
Lakiesha Williams
University of Florida
Associate Professor
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering
Pre-clinical Models of Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration
Abstract and Speaker Bio
The solid, physiological evidence linking later-life brain disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has yet to be identified. Some of the concerns associated with these concussive injuries include persistent post concussive symptoms, and memory and cognition deficits. Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI), especially in contact sports, can lead to later-life depression, apathy, decreases in executive function, or cognitive impairment. Mild TBIs lead to a degenerative cascade in the brain that is characterized by heterogeneous features, such as inflammation, axonal degeneration, intracellular protein aggregation, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) type dementia. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a p-tau pathology, has been well-defined and is associated with individuals who have had a broad range of exposure to repetitive brain trauma. To date, the relationships between RHI mechanisms and chronic neurodegeneration are unclear. The Williams lab at the University of Florida is studying TBI from a perspective of RHIs and linkages to neurogenerative diseases in the long term. Their team has explored processes both in vitro and in vivo through benchtop models and preclinical experiments. The work presented here is an overview of the Williams team's investigations of models and molecular mechanisms associated with Traumatic Brain Injury.
