Research Initiation Award: Role of Astrocytes in the Development of Synchronized Bursting Behavior in Neuronal Networks

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Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to redirect and rebuild a research program or need to build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. Delaware State University's Research Initiation Award for the period of 2014-2016 addresses a major gap in understanding the role of glial cells in a very important aspect of brain development-generation of synchronous neuronal activity. It combines multi-electrode electrophysiology and molecular genetic approaches to investigate how glia and neurons interact to form complex functional networks and explores the link between GPCR mediated intracellular Ca++ release to gliotransmitter exocytosis. The research has the following specific aims:--to characterize differences in synaptic development and network activity in embryonic neurons cultured alone and with glia, multi-electrode electrophysiology and Ca++ imaging to measure the activity of neurons and glial cells from chicken embryos separately and in co-cultures.--to investigate the specific mechanisms of glial influence on developing neurons use of a dominant negative expression strategy to disrupt specific GPCR pathways, mGluR, P2y1 and GABAB in astrocytes co-cultured with neurons.The project engages seven (7) undergraduate and high school students from Delaware State University and Delaware State University's Early College High School in research experiences. The results of the study contribute to a clearer understanding of the role of glia in the development, maintenance and modulation of synaptic function and neuronal network activity and has a direct bearing on developing effective therapies for epilepsy, a pathological condition emerging from inappropriate synchronous firing.