Weekly lecture series hosted by the Center for Neuroregeneration and Department of Neurosurgery. 

Tuesdays at 9am-10am in Neurosensory Blue Bird Auditorium 

Talk title: Astrocytes in Neurocognitive Function and Dementia Pathogenesis

Abstract:

Glial-neuronal interactions are essential for brain function and their impairments can promote disease. The exact mechanisms and functional effects of glial alterations and therapeutic strategies targeting glia are not clear. The Orr lab recently uncovered that astrocytic receptors modulate spatial memory in a selective, bidirectional, and sex-dimorphic manner, suggesting that sex-dependent tuning in astrocytic signaling is essential for normal cognitive function. In disease, astrocytes were found to cause selective neural deficits through maladaptive neuroimmune signaling mechanisms that disrupt neuronal function. These studies reveal that astrocytes have precise and context-dependent alterations and cause changes in specific functional domains.

Short bio:

Dr. Anna Orr is the Nan and Stephen Swid Assistant Professor of Frontotemporal Dementia Research at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research focuses on molecular and functional properties of astrocytes and seeks to understand and harness astrocytic-neuronal interactions to develop novel therapeutics for dementia. Dr. Orr holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology from Allegheny College and a doctorate in Neuroscience from Emory University. She completed postdoctoral training at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Orr has been generously supported by the NIH, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, BrightFocus Foundation, and other funding sources. She has also been honored with the Neuroscience Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Weill Cornell Graduate School.