Brenda Bloodgood

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Brenda Bloodgood
BrendaBloodgood.jpg
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California San Diego, Harvard University
Known forRole of Npas4 in modulating synaptic physiology
Awards2015 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 2015 Pew Biomedical Scholar, 2014 Searle Scholar, 2011-2012 Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2010-2011 L’Oreal Fellowship for Women in Science
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience
InstitutionsUniversity of California San Diego

Brenda Bloodgood is an American neuroscientist and associate professor of neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego. Bloodgood studies the molecular and cellular basis of brain circuitry changes in response to an animal's interactions with the environment.

Contents

Early life and education

In highschool, Bloodgood participated in Columbia University’s Science Honors Program. [1] The opportunity to asking questions and formulate scientific hypotheses in this program inspired her to pursue a career in neuroscience. [1] After highschool, Bloodgood attended a community college in California [1] and then transferred to the University of California, San Diego to complete an undergraduate degree in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience. [2] While at UCSD, Bloodgood joined the lab of Dr. Ed Callaway at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies as an undergraduate research assistant. [1] After receiving her bachelors of science degree in 2001, Bloodgood continued on a path towards academic neuroscience by completing her PhD at Harvard Medical School. [3] As a graduate student at Harvard, Bloodgood studied under the mentorship of Dr. Bernardo Sabatini. [1] Bloodgood's graduate work focusing on synaptic physiology [1] led to a first author paper in the academic journal Science regarding how neuronal activity regulates diffusion across the neck of dendritic spines. [4] After completing graduate school in 2006, Bloodgood remained Boston to complete her postdoctoral studies under the mentorship of Dr. Mike Greenberg at Harvard Medical School. [1] In the Greenberg Lab, Bloodgood studied the protein Npas4 which is known to regulate neuronal gene expression [5] specifically at inhibitory synapses. [6] In her postdoc, Bloodgood explored the underlying mechanisms governing how Npas4 regulates the number and formation of inhibitory inputs onto neurons. [6] Bloodgood discovered that upon sensory stimulation, Npas4 mediates a rearrangement of the distribution of inhibitory synapses onto hippocampal neurons restricting information output while increasing the potential for dendritic plasticity. [6] This essentially increases the ability of a neuron to gather more information before relaying it further throughout the circuit. [5]

Career and research

Bloodgood completed her postdoctoral studies in 2012 and then returned to her undergraduate alma mater, the University of California, San Diego, to start her own neurobiology lab within the Division of Biological Sciences. [7] Inspired by her postdoctoral work, Bloodgood has focused her lab's research program on probing a deeper understanding of the diverse functions of Npas4 in modulating neural computations and driving changes in animal behavior. [5] [8] Just two years after starting her lab, Bloodgood and 2 other UCSD scientists received funding from Obama’s BRAIN Initiative in 2014. [9]

In 2016, Bloodgood became the co-director of the San Diego Brain Consortium, [9] an organization which helps to coordinate collaborations, build research training programs, enhance science communication, and generally foster innovation in brain research. [10] Bloodgood also serves as an Advisory Board Member and Faculty Fellow for the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at UCSD. [11] [12]

Recently, the Bloodgood Lab found that there are functional differences between the NMDA receptors on spines versus dendritic synaptic inputs onto Parvalbumin interneurons in the mouse cortex. [13] Further, the Bloodgood Lab discovered that Npas4 is induced by action potentials through a completely different mechanism than when Npas4 is induced by excitatory postsynaptic potentials. [14] While both action potential induced and EPSP induced Npas4 yield Npas4 heterodimers, these heterodimers remarkably have distinct effects on gene expression and regulation. [14]

Awards

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendrite</span> Small projection on a neuron that receives signals

A dendrite or dendron is a branched protoplasmic extension of a nerve cell that propagates the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Electrical stimulation is transmitted onto dendrites by upstream neurons via synapses which are located at various points throughout the dendritic tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuron</span> Electrically excitable cell found in the nervous system of animals

Within a nervous system, a neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network. Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses, which are specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of chemical neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendritic spine</span> Small protrusion on a dendrite that receives input from a single axon

A dendritic spine is a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite that typically receives input from a single axon at the synapse. Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical signals to the neuron's cell body. Most spines have a bulbous head, and a thin neck that connects the head of the spine to the shaft of the dendrite. The dendrites of a single neuron can contain hundreds to thousands of spines. In addition to spines providing an anatomical substrate for memory storage and synaptic transmission, they may also serve to increase the number of possible contacts between neurons. It has also been suggested that changes in the activity of neurons have a positive effect on spine morphology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synaptic plasticity</span> Ability of a synapse to strengthen or weaken over time according to its activity

In neuroscience, synaptic plasticity is the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time, in response to increases or decreases in their activity. Since memories are postulated to be represented by vastly interconnected neural circuits in the brain, synaptic plasticity is one of the important neurochemical foundations of learning and memory.

An inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) is a kind of synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron less likely to generate an action potential. The opposite of an inhibitory postsynaptic potential is an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), which is a synaptic potential that makes a postsynaptic neuron more likely to generate an action potential. IPSPs can take place at all chemical synapses, which use the secretion of neurotransmitters to create cell-to-cell signalling. EPSPs and IPSPs compete with each other at numerous synapses of a neuron. This determines whether an action potential occurring at the presynaptic terminal produces an action potential at the postsynaptic membrane. Some common neurotransmitters involved in IPSPs are GABA and glycine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excitatory synapse</span> Sort of synapse

An excitatory synapse is a synapse in which an action potential in a presynaptic neuron increases the probability of an action potential occurring in a postsynaptic cell. Neurons form networks through which nerve impulses travels, each neuron often making numerous connections with other cells of neurons. These electrical signals may be excitatory or inhibitory, and, if the total of excitatory influences exceeds that of the inhibitory influences, the neuron will generate a new action potential at its axon hillock, thus transmitting the information to yet another cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyramidal cell</span> Projection neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus

Pyramidal cells, or pyramidal neurons, are a type of multipolar neuron found in areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Pyramidal cells are the primary excitation units of the mammalian prefrontal cortex and the corticospinal tract. One of the main structural features of the pyramidal neuron is the conic shaped soma, or cell body, after which the neuron is named. Other key structural features of the pyramidal cell are a single axon, a large apical dendrite, multiple basal dendrites, and the presence of dendritic spines.

Synaptogenesis is the formation of synapses between neurons in the nervous system. Although it occurs throughout a healthy person's lifespan, an explosion of synapse formation occurs during early brain development, known as exuberant synaptogenesis. Synaptogenesis is particularly important during an individual's critical period, during which there is a certain degree of synaptic pruning due to competition for neural growth factors by neurons and synapses. Processes that are not used, or inhibited during their critical period will fail to develop normally later on in life.

An apical dendrite is a dendrite that emerges from the apex of a pyramidal cell. Apical dendrites are one of two primary categories of dendrites, and they distinguish the pyramidal cells from spiny stellate cells in the cortices. Pyramidal cells are found in the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex, the olfactory cortex, and other areas. Dendrite arbors formed by apical dendrites are the means by which synaptic inputs into a cell are integrated. The apical dendrites in these regions contribute significantly to memory, learning, and sensory associations by modulating the excitatory and inhibitory signals received by the pyramidal cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golgi cell</span>

In neuroscience, Golgi cells are the most abundant inhibitory interneurons found within the granular layer of the cerebellum. Golgi cells can be found in the granular layer at various layers. The Golgi cell is essential for controlling the activity of the granular layer. They were first identified as inhibitory in 1964. It was also the first example of an inhibitory feedback network in which the inhibitory interneuron was identified anatomically. Golgi cells produce a wide lateral inhibition that reaches beyond the afferent synaptic field and inhibit granule cells via feedforward and feedback inhibitory loops. These cells synapse onto the dendrite of granule cells and unipolar brush cells. They receive excitatory input from mossy fibres, also synapsing on granule cells, and parallel fibers, which are long granule cell axons. Thereby this circuitry allows for feed-forward and feed-back inhibition of granule cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synapse</span> Structure connecting neurons in the nervous system

In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or to the target effector cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandelier cell</span>

Chandelier cells or chandelier neurons are a subset of GABAergic cortical interneurons. They are described as parvalbumin-containing and fast-spiking to distinguish them from other subtypes of GABAergic neurons, although some studies have suggested that only a subset of chandelier cells test positive for parvalbumin by immunostaining. The name comes from the specific shape of their axon arbors, with the terminals forming distinct arrays called "cartridges". The cartridges are immunoreactive to an isoform of the GABA membrane transporter, GAT-1, and this serves as their identifying feature. GAT-1 is involved in the process of GABA reuptake into nerve terminals, thus helping to terminate its synaptic activity. Chandelier neurons synapse exclusively to the axonal initial segment of pyramidal neurons, near the site where action potential is generated. It is believed that they provide inhibitory input to the pyramidal neurons, but there is data showing that in some circumstances the GABA from chandelier neurons could be excitatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalirin</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Kalirin, also known as Huntingtin-associated protein-interacting protein (HAPIP), protein duo (DUO), or serine/threonine-protein kinase with Dbl- and pleckstrin homology domain, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KALRN gene. Kalirin was first identified in 1997 as a protein interacting with huntingtin-associated protein 1. Is also known to play an important role in nerve growth and axonal development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloride potassium symporter 5</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Potassium-chloride transporter member 5 is a neuron-specific chloride potassium symporter responsible for establishing the chloride ion gradient in neurons through the maintenance of low intracellular chloride concentrations. It is a critical mediator of synaptic inhibition, cellular protection against excitotoxicity and may also act as a modulator of neuroplasticity. Potassium-chloride transporter member 5 is also known by the names: KCC2 for its ionic substrates, and SLC12A5 for its genetic origin from the SLC12A5 gene in humans.

Michael Greenberg is an American neuroscientist who specializes in molecular neurobiology. He served as the Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School from 2008 to 2022.

Activity-dependent plasticity is a form of functional and structural neuroplasticity that arises from the use of cognitive functions and personal experience; hence, it is the biological basis for learning and the formation of new memories. Activity-dependent plasticity is a form of neuroplasticity that arises from intrinsic or endogenous activity, as opposed to forms of neuroplasticity that arise from extrinsic or exogenous factors, such as electrical brain stimulation- or drug-induced neuroplasticity. The brain's ability to remodel itself forms the basis of the brain's capacity to retain memories, improve motor function, and enhance comprehension and speech amongst other things. It is this trait to retain and form memories that is associated with neural plasticity and therefore many of the functions individuals perform on a daily basis. This plasticity occurs as a result of changes in gene expression which are triggered by signaling cascades that are activated by various signaling molecules during increased neuronal activity.

Dendritic filopodia are small, membranous protrusions found primarily on dendritic stretches of developing neurons. These structures may receive synaptic input, and can develop into dendritic spines. Dendritic filopodia are generally less-well studied than dendritic spines because their transient nature makes them difficult to detect with traditional microscopy techniques. Sample preparation can also destroy dendritic filopodia. However, it has been determined that filopodia on dendritic shafts are distinct from other types of filopodia and may react to stimuli in different ways.

Memory allocation is a process that determines which specific synapses and neurons in a neural network will store a given memory. Although multiple neurons can receive a stimulus, only a subset of the neurons will induce the necessary plasticity for memory encoding. The selection of this subset of neurons is termed neuronal allocation. Similarly, multiple synapses can be activated by a given set of inputs, but specific mechanisms determine which synapses actually go on to encode the memory, and this process is referred to as synaptic allocation. Memory allocation was first discovered in the lateral amygdala by Sheena Josselyn and colleagues in Alcino J. Silva's laboratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuronal PAS domain protein 4</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Neuronal PAS domain protein 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NPAS4 gene. The NPAS4 gene is a neuronal activity-dependent immediate early gene that has been identified as a transcription factor. The protein regulates the transcription of genes that control inhibitory synapse development, synaptic plasticity and most recently reported also behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synaptic stabilization</span> Modifying synaptic strength via cell adhesion molecules

Synaptic stabilization is crucial in the developing and adult nervous systems and is considered a result of the late phase of long-term potentiation (LTP). The mechanism involves strengthening and maintaining active synapses through increased expression of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix elements and postsynaptic scaffold proteins, while pruning less active ones. For example, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) play a large role in synaptic maintenance and stabilization. Gerald Edelman discovered CAMs and studied their function during development, which showed CAMs are required for cell migration and the formation of the entire nervous system. In the adult nervous system, CAMs play an integral role in synaptic plasticity relating to learning and memory.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dr. Brenda Bloodgood". Stories of WiN. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  2. "Brenda Bloodgood – 2018-Sept Kavli Institute Community Symposium: Cutting-edge science from around the world". oslo2018.kavlimeetings.org. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Brenda Bloodgood - Faculty - Neurograd Program". UC San Diego Health Sciences. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  4. Bloodgood, Brenda L.; Sabatini, Bernardo L. (2005-11-04). "Neuronal activity regulates diffusion across the neck of dendritic spines". Science. 310 (5749): 866–869. Bibcode:2005Sci...310..866B. doi:10.1126/science.1114816. ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   16272125. S2CID   16886082.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Brenda L. Bloodgood, Ph.D." Archived from the original on 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  6. 1 2 3 Bloodgood, Brenda L.; Sharma, Nikhil; Browne, Heidi Adlman; Trepman, Alissa Z.; Greenberg, Michael E. (2013-11-07). "The activity-dependent transcription factor NPAS4 regulates domain-specific inhibition". Nature. 503 (7474): 121–125. Bibcode:2013Natur.503..121B. doi:10.1038/nature12743. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   4169177 . PMID   24201284.
  7. "Brenda Bloodgood". www-biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  8. "Brenda Bloodgood – 2018-Sept Kavli Institute Community Symposium: Cutting-edge science from around the world". oslo2018.kavlimeetings.org. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  9. 1 2 McAllister, Toni (2016-10-14). "NIH Awards UCSD Brain Researchers $2.27 Million". Times of San Diego. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  10. "The San Diego BRAIN Consortium". sdbrain.org. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  11. "Brenda Bloodgood – 2018-Sept Kavli Institute Community Symposium: Cutting-edge science from around the world". oslo2018.kavlimeetings.org. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  12. "People | Kavli Institute for Brain & Mind". kibm.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  13. 1 2 Sancho, Laura; Bloodgood, Brenda L. (2018-08-21). "Functional Distinctions between Spine and Dendritic Synapses Made onto Parvalbumin-Positive Interneurons in Mouse Cortex". Cell Reports. 24 (8): 2075–2087. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.07.070 . ISSN   2211-1247. PMID   30134169.
  14. 1 2 3 Brigidi, G. Stefano; Hayes, Michael G. B.; Delos Santos, Nathaniel P.; Hartzell, Andrea L.; Texari, Lorane; Lin, Pei-Ann; Bartlett, Anna; Ecker, Joseph R.; Benner, Christopher; Heinz, Sven; Bloodgood, Brenda L. (2019-10-03). "Genomic Decoding of Neuronal Depolarization by Stimulus-Specific NPAS4 Heterodimers". Cell. 179 (2): 373–391.e27. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2019.09.004. ISSN   0092-8674. PMC   6800120 . PMID   31585079. (Retracted, see doi:10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.008, PMID   38870944 . If this is an intentional citation to a retracted paper, please replace {{ retracted |...}} with {{ retracted |...|intentional=yes}}.)
  15. "NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program - 2015 Award Recipients | NIH Common Fund". commonfund.nih.gov. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  16. "Searle Scholars Program". Scholar Profile Brenda L. Bloodgood. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2023.