Dr. Komal Arora, a post-doctoral fellow at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, will discuss interesting approaches in the study of neurobiology during a Math + Science + X seminar at 10:30-11:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6, in E132.
“Synapse: A Junction of Communication,” will offer a look at some interesting approaches that Dr. Arora and her lab are taking in their work. Neurons, or nerve cells, are the core component of the nervous system, and the average human brain has about 100 billion neurons.
Neurons are electrically excitable cells that process and transmit information by electro-chemical signaling. A typical neuron fires 5 – 50 times every second. Each neuron may be connected to up to 10,000 other neurons, passing signals to each other via a specialized connection known as a synapse to a neighboring neuron.
Dr. Arora will describe the main features of synapse and electro-chemical signaling leading to it. She will also talk about a couple of pathologies showing deficits in synapse like Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. She will also talk about a couple of pathologies showing deficits in synapse like Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.