Topic outline

• 

  General

  • Announcements Forum
  • VPL connection URL

    VPN service allows to connect with a PC from home (not connected to the University web) and have access to all documents whose accessibility is limited to UNITO users. Visit the link to obtain the instruction to configure the system on your computer.
    

  • Seminars - Conferences

  • Initiative "Brain awareness week" March 11-16 URL
  • Program of the Brain awareness week in Turin: " The digital mind " URL
  • Seminar "The Neurobiology of Social Behavior: from Static to Dynamic"by Olga Dal Monte Page

    Tuesday March 19; 2 pm Sala Seminari di Palazzo Badini, Via Verdi 10,

    
    

  • NEW!!! Discovery the function of Mirror Neurons - 5 April 2019 - Conference by Giacomo Rizzolatti File
  • NEW!!! Seminar by Davide Bottari - Experience dependent brain plasticity - May 7 - 16.00-18.00 File
  • Summer schools 

    
    

  • UTRECHT summerschool Basic principles of neuronal development and function summerschool ‘Neural circuit development and plasticity’ in Utrecht, 15-19 July 2019 info: www.utrechtsummerschool.nl File
  • The Norwegian research school in neuroscience (NRSN) Page

    The Norwegian research school in neuroscience (NRSN) is organizing two great summer schools this year. They have some available sport on both, so they are now opening for students outside the organization to attend.

  • Useful links

  • NENS URL
  • Allen Brain Atlas URL
  • 3D nervous system development - (mouse) URL
  • Developmental Biology (textbook 6th edition online)yy URL
  • UNSW - embryology - neural system development URL
  • 20_06_2019 Quiz
  • 11_07_2019 Quiz
  • 17_09_2019 Quiz
  • exam 10_02_2020 Quiz

  
  

  Topics index:
  

  • Introduction
  • Key Concepts and Signaling pathways
  • Experimental Models
  • Neural Induction
  • Neural Patterning
  • Cortical Development - Michèle Studer
  • Neuro-/Glio-genesis
  • Adult neurogenesis

  
  
• 

  Introduction

  • Introduction to the course File
  • Video introduction - Developmental Neurobiology (JOVE) File

    Watch the video to get an overview of what is about Developmental Neurobiology!

    This Video belongs to:

    JoVE Science Education Database. Essentials of Neuroscience. An Introduction to Developmental Neurobiology. JoVE, Cambridge, MA, doi: 10.3791/5207 (2016) -copyright protected

• 

  Key Concepts and Signaling pathways

  • topic 1 - Key concepts File
  • Instant Notes - Key concepts Book
  • topic1- Signaling Pathway File
  • Useful links

  • 2012 Nobel prize URL
  • Press release 2012 - Nobel Prize URL
• 

  Experimental Models

  • Experimental Models

  • Animal and in vitro models File
  • Animal Models (videos)

  • An Introduction to the laboratory mouse URL
  • Mouse reproduction and development URL
  • Mouse care/maintenance URL
  • An Introduction to zebrafish URL
  • laboratory of development and disease models in zebrafish URL
  • An Introduction to the chick URL
  • Animal research (legislation and ethical issues)

  • About Animal Research URL
  • EU legislative framework (Animal Research) URL
  • Animal research law in the EU URL
  • The 3 Rs URL
  • In Vitro Models 

  • Explant cultures of neural tissue in vitro URL
  • Explant cultures in developmental studies URL
  • TASK 

    watch the video - read the articles following the guidelines - 

  • Focus group on Task 1 Page
  • CED conference by M.Lancaster URL
  • Lancaster nature2013 File
  • Mansour et al., 2018 File
  • General notes on scientific articles File
  • guidelines for reading scientific articles File
• 

  Neural Induction

  Main objective of this unit is the understanding of early neural development 
  

  We will discuss about:

  -derivation of neural tissue in different metazoans

  -the origin, role and molecular nature of the neural inducer

  -conservation of the neural inducer among metazoans

  • Neural Induction File
  • Early steps in Drosophila neurogenesis File
  • TASK 

    read the article

  • Focus Group on topic 2 Page
  • Marchal et al., PNAS 2009 File
  • Videos and Web-sites

  • Video_Spemann and Mangold experiment URL
  • Video_Gastrulation_neurulation (Xenopus laevis) URL
  • Embryonic stem cells URL
  • Video_Morpholinos URL
  • BMP signaling pathway URL
  • Notch signalling pathway URL
  • Notch signalling pathway animation URL
• 

  Neural Patterning

  This unit is focussed on the  understanding of the mechanisms that underly the regional identity of the nervous system.

  We will discuss about:

  - antero-posterior axis whit a focus on Hox genes function in hindbrain development; 

  - organizing centers in the developing brain;
  

  - dorsal-ventral polarity of the neural tube.

  • Antero-posterior patterning File
  • Neural patterning and secondary organizer File
  • Dorso-ventral Neural patterning File
  • Articles to read

  • Lippmann et al., 2015 (Neural patterning in human pluripotent stem cells ) File
  • Who is Mario Capecchi? File
  • Rhinn and Dolle 2012 (Retinoic acid signaling and neural development) File
  • Toyoda et al., 2010 (FGF8 role on cortical patterning) File
  • Alvarez_Medina et al. 2008 (Wnt & Shh pathways interaction in D-V patterning) File
  • Snap-shot spinal cord development File
  • Video_in utero electroporation in mice URL
• 

  Cortical Development - Michèle Studer

  • (April, 1-2, 2019)

    Cellular and Molecular organization of the developing cerebral cortex

  • M. Studer Lecture "Cellular and Molecular organization of the cortex" File
  • M. Studer Lecture "Development of layers and functional areas in the neocortex" can be downloaded at the following link

  • M. Studer Lecture "How to write a scientific paper" _ April, 2 - 2019 File
  • M. Studer Lecture "Brain wiring in health and disease" can be downloaded at the following link
    

  • M. Studer Lecture "Genetics and new approaches in neurodevelopmental brain diseorders" File
  • 
    

    TASK1 - for Monday - April 15th - 14.00-16.00
    Presentation of 5 emerging technologies in neurobiology/neuroscience: 

    1) Students must organize into 5 groups  and choose one of the following topics (one topic-one group so that all topics are covered):
    (i) 3D whole brain imaging;  (ii) optogenetics & functional whole brain imaging; (iii) scRNAseq & cell lineage tracking;  (iv) IPSCS & brain organoids;  (v) in vivo & in vitro reprogramming.
    2) For each topic you will find material  at the following link:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qQuIymPGRWfPveHqMiw2RcUZFUaKTAOT?usp=sharing  - you can use part of this material, but you can also select other studies or material ...as you like
    3) Each group should prepare a ppt presentation to briefly present the emerging technology chosen (advantages and limits) and provide one ore more examples of how it has been applied to answer scientific questions in the field of Developmental Neurobiology. 
    4) each group will have 20' (15' presentation + 5' discussion: questions by other students and teachers)
    For any questions or doubts don't hesitate to contact me (silvia.demarchis@unito.it)
    
    
    
    

    
    

  • TASK 2 - Fellowship application

    1) May 2 - DEAD LINE  for submitting fellowship application (use the form provided below)

    Students must organize in 5 or 6 groups to develop a fellowship proposal using the provided application form. To develop the project proposal you must start by one research scientific article (either one of the article related to task 1 - except the technical ones) or another article of your choice.  IMPORTANT: the topic must be related to scientific questions relevant in the field of developmental neurobiology, including brain plasticity in the adult brain and brain diseases with a developmental origin/cause. 

    As explained by Prof. Studer, this is an exercise that require you to make a sort or reverse process: from the end to the beginning...from a published paper to a project proposal.

    In "real life" researchers start from the current knowledge in a field  to develop new ideas and  formulate scientific hypothesis on still unanswered scientific relevant questions. To test their hypothesis they need to identify main scientific goals in their research and find the most suitable models and methods to reach their goals; write a convincing project; be financed; perform the experiments; collect data; interpret data; publish their results....

    Your task is much more easy than that!!!  You should start from the results published in a scientific paper;  identify the main scientific questions that were at the basis of the study and write your fellowship research proposal identifying 3 main objectives. Remember that the project is for a 3 years fellowship.

    
    

    2) May 7 - Project Presentation (11:00-13:00; 14:00-16:00)

    Each group must prepare a ppt presentation of their project; Time for each presentation must be maximum 20' + 15' discussion.

  • fellowship proposal submission - Assignment
  • Fellowship application form File
• 

  Neuro-/Glio-genesis

  • neural progenitors, neurogenesis and gliogenesis File
  • Time-lapse video - RG URL
  • Fuentalba et al., 2015 File
  • Redmond et al., 2019 File
  • Falk et al., 2017 File
  • Garcia Marques 2013 File
  • In vivo clonal analysis for neurodevelopmental studies & origin of forebrain interneurons File
  • Harwell et al., 2015 File
• 

  Adult neurogenesis

  • hippocampal DG neurogenesis and COUP-TFI function File
  • Bonzano et al., 2018 File
  • Task: Be ready for the Debate on Adult Neurogenesis 

    when: Monday -June 3 - 14.30 pm 

    where: Nico meeting room

    Please find below relevant literature on the topic - read it carefully

  • Prof. Luca Bonfanti lecture File
  • Sanai et al., 2011 File
  • Sorrells et al., 2018 File
  • Boldrini et al., 2018 File
  • Moreno-Jimenez et al., 2019 File