Introduction by Dr. Charles Ambramson, Oklahoma State University
Speaker and Award Recipient: Victor Cornejo
Talk Title: Physiology and synaptic function of neuronal small compartments
Talk Abstract: My research interests involve the understanding of neuronal nanocompartments, i.e. dendritic spines, axons and synaptic terminals. These structures are essential elements of the brain’s hardware, mediating all synaptic transmission. They also share many locally-specific cellular features, which have evolved to adapt their function to confined spaces with high temporal precision. Specifically, I have been interested in the mechanisms of ion channels’ trafficking in peripheral axons and the nanophysiology of dendritic spines in the mouse cortex. My current work focuses on exploring new conceptual and technical avenues in neurophysiology, in order to demonstrate that small neuronal subunits are highly independent from other domains and with emergent properties towards the network of neuronal circuits in the brain.