Publications by authors named "Simon Bedard"
Article Synopsis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal condition caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, leading to increased cortical hyperexcitability and reduced intracortical inhibition.
- Researchers used a mouse model to show that parvalbumin interneurons are less active before ALS symptoms appear, which contributes to motor neuron hyperexcitability.
- By enhancing the activity of these interneurons in the primary motor cortex through targeted gene therapy, they were able to improve inhibition, slow the progression of ALS symptoms, and extend the life span of the mice, offering new insights into potential treatments for the disease.
Restoring GABAergic inhibition rescues memory deficits in a Huntington's disease mouse model.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2018
Article Synopsis
- Huntington's disease (HD) is primarily known for its movement issues, but cognitive impairments actually appear around 15 years earlier.
- Research indicates a link between the Huntingtin protein (Htt) and KCC2, a protein essential for proper brain inhibition, suggesting that KCC2 dysfunction may worsen learning and memory problems in HD.
- In experiments with HD mice, a reduction in KCC2 alongside an increase in another protein (NKCC1) led to unwanted excitatory effects from GABA, but using the NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide improved cognitive performance in the mice.