20th October, 12:00h. Navarrabiomed Assembly Hall. Language: English
Silvia Marinelli, Head of the Neurons and Microglia in the Pathophysiology of Cortical Microcircuits and the Retina Laboratory at the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) - Fondazione Rita Levi-Montalcini, Rome, Italy, will give a seminar at Navarrabiomed on 20th October. The seminar, “Novel Pharmacological Strategies for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Investigating Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets”, will start at 12:00h. Admission is free and no registration is required.
Focal cortical dysplasia type II (FCD-II) comprises a heterogeneous group of cortical malformations associated with genetic alterations and represents one of the most common causes of drug-resistant epilepsy in children. These malformations arise early in development, during neuronal migration and differentiation, and are characterized by disrupted cortical lamination and distinct cytological abnormalities, including immature, dysmorphic and hypertrophic neurons, as well as balloon cells. Children with FCD-II typically experience early-onset seizures, often accompanied by cognitive and behavioural impairments. Although surgical resection of the epileptogenic focus is currently the most effective treatment, it is not feasible or successful in all patients. Understanding the mechanisms underlying FCD-II-associated drug-resistant epilepsy is therefore essential for developing alternative therapeutic strategies.
Within the framework of the EBRI-OPBG Joint Laboratory (European Brain Research Institute–Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital), Silvia Marinelli’s team investigated brain tissue obtained from patients with FCD-II and other forms of drug-resistant epilepsy. Using patch-clamp recordings, immunocytochemical analyses and confocal microscopy in acute and organotypic human brain slices, they examined the intrinsic membrane properties of distinct neuronal populations and explored the effects of potential pharmacological interventions.
In this presentation, Silvia Marinelli will discuss recent findings on the cellular mechanisms underlying FCD-II and the results of pharmacological studies. Collectively, these findings reveal potential therapeutic targets and support the development of novel treatment strategies that could provide alternatives to neurosurgery.
About Silvia Marinelli
Silvia Marinelli obtained her PhD in Neuroscience at University of Rome Tor Vergata after spending some years at Univ. of Sydney, Australia, where she studied the cellular mechanisms of descending control of pain transmission and gained interest in ion channels involved in pain transmission at brain level.
She then later joined the group of Alberto Bacci at Fondazione EBRI Rita Levi-Montalcini, in Rome. There, she studied and identified specific forms of synaptic plasticity in cerebral cortex microcircuits.
Her group at EBRI, in addition to studying the role of inhibitory synaptic plasticity forms, is looking into the cross-talk between microglia and neurons with the aim of uncovering specific signallings underlying the neuro-immune communication.