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Pharmacology & Chemical Biology Seminar Series
4/4/2024 - 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
“Sex-specific neurovascular and metabolic trajectories of brain aging”
 

Bistra Iordanova, PhD 
Assistant Professor
Department of Bioengineering
Swanson School of Engineering
University of Pittsburgh

This talk will cover the development and application of multiscale imaging platforms to probe cellular activity in vivo. The focus is on the interactions between neurons, astrocytes, and brain vessels to assure proper blood supply to active brain areas, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “neurovascular coupling”. The underlying signaling mediators are poorly understood, yet very important because the dysfunction of specific populations of cells could have dramatic repercussions on the local blood flow and the energy supply to the brain. Moreover, several neurological conditions are associated with a cerebrovascular pathology and impaired neurovascular coupling responses. One such condition is Alzheimer's disease, in which the cerebrovascular dysfunction is an integral part of the disease process. Particularly, I will focus on the sex-specific changes in the brain metabolism and neurovascular health that drive differences in etiology, onset, and progression of Alzheimer’s disease with examples from our work in rodent models. The end goal is to provide mechanistic insights into the neurometabolic and vascular deficits of vulnerable populations and motivate tailored dementia therapeutics that can benefit all humans.
 
Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower
1395 Conference Room
200 Lothrop St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Contact
Melanie Hoffner

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