Understanding the effects of Early-Life Adversity on Microglia in the Developing Brain

Early-life adversity (ELA) is one of the most consistent and robust predictors of poor mental health outcomes across the lifespan. These are developmental periods characterized by high neural plasticity, in which the brain is shaped by experience. Thus, ELA can provoke detrimental, long-lasting changes in the brain and it is critical to understand the mechanisms of how ELA changes the developing brain that remain unclear. Thus, we propose to use the well-established Limited Bedding and Nesting (LBN) model, to perform bulk-RNA seq in the hypothalamus; a stress-sensitive brain region. Previous literature showed that ELA-caused developmental changes in the brain are mediated by microglia, the immune cells of the brain. Therefore, we will isolate microglia from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of P8 mice from ELA or control conditions, to look for changes in gene expression that could provide potential therapeutic targets. This collaboration will capitalize in Dr. Ciernia’s expertise in RNA-seq and bioinformatics, as well as Dr. Bolton’s expertise in ELA and brain development to produce data that will be used for future grant writing to bring funding for future research.

Faculty Supervisor:

Annie Ciernia Vogel

Student:

Partner:

Georgia State University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: