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Laboratory Overview  The Human Brain Laboratory was designed with the intention of providing a rich resource for the study of human epilepsy and to extend findings from the animal models to the Human Brain. Epilepsy research is conducted on human brain tissue that has been removed from patients with intractable epilepsy, due to various causes, to better understand the pathophysiologic basis of various types of seizure disorders and epileptic syndromes. During pathological conditions, such as status epilepticus, a complex of de-stabilizing synaptic events leads to profound changes in the brain, evident on morphological, physiological and molecular levels. We aim to investigate the basis of aberrant synaptic function leading to hyperexcitability and neuronal network synchronization in the epileptic brain tissue; to characterize seizure-related hippocampal degeneration; to explore whether a pharmacological control of changes in ionic and osmotic homeostasis in neurons and glia at seizure onset could lead to effective antiepileptogenic treatment. We employ an integrated approach combining an enhanced-resolution optical imaging such as two-photon and confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy, electrophysiology, serial electron microscopy and advanced cell biology techniques. Our basic research in the field of cellular neuroscience is conducted on animal brain tissue and focused on the mechanisms of synaptogenesis and plasticity in the mammalian brain. Our interest is synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain with emphasis on its structural basis and regulation. One of the long long-term goals is to understand the mechanisms of synapse and spine formation and maintenance in the immature and mature brain under normal and pathological conditions. Sergei A. Kirov, Ph.D. Principal Investigator |