Chemical conversations that underlie the growth and survival of synapses
Changes in the structure and function of synapses are thought to underlie processes like learning and memory formation and the loss of intellectual function in many neurodegenerative diseases.  To understand how synapses are made and lost in disease we need to get to the heart of the synaptic relationship: a relationship that involves communication amongst the nerve terminal, the postsynaptic cell and glial cells (the chaperones). It is known that the growth and retraction of synaptic connections can be influenced by activity within neuronal circuits and also by chemical signals other than neurotransmitters. Precisely how these different signals interact to determine the destiny of synapses remains unclear.
This project will explore the role of the agrin/MuSK signaling system and how it may interact with other second-messenger signaling systems in mediating the growth or loss of a synapse. In the first instance this will be a library project but it will build a strong foundation and provide a valuable head-start for an honours project on the topic.

Supervisor: Bill Phillips

Address: Discipline of Physiology, rm N348, Anderson Stuart Bldg

Email: billp@physiol.usyd.edu.au

Phone: 9351 4598