NEURONAL PRIMARY CILIA AND THE TREATMENT OF BRAIN DISORDERS

UNH researchers are studying the tiny antenna-like projections on the surface of brain cells, called neuronal primary cilia, to better understand how they regulate hippocampus-dependent memory formation and why their defects lead to brain disorders, including neurodevelopmental disorders, mental retardation, obesity, neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment — many of which are associated with memory formation. The ultimate goal of the research is to uncover new targeting pathways to treat these disorders.

“While cilia are associated with numerous diseases, the physiological function of neuronal primary cilia is poorly understood,” says Xuanmao Chen, associate professor of neurobiology and the project’s principal investigator. “Elucidating the fundamentals of primary cilia in the hippocampus and cilia regulation of neuronal function will advance our understanding of memory formation and help us develop new treatments for cognitive disorders.”

Recent research by Chen and his team revealed that neuronal primary cilia undergo marked changes in directionality during early postnatal development. They are investigating how cilia orientation influences the positioning of neurons in the hippocampus, which can affect the construction of synaptic connectivity and memory formation.

The primary contributing author on this project is doctoral student Juan Yang. Research scientist Liyan Qiu, Dina Bicja ’23, Shannon Roselli ’24 and Lewis Brendon ’24 have also participated in this work.

The research is supported by the Cole Neuroscience and Behavior Faculty Research Fund and two R15 Academic Research Enhancement Awards from the National Institutes of Health.