Gamma oscillations in schizophrenia – hearing the signal through the noise

Lab: Department of Medicine, Central Clinical School, Monash University – Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

Abstrat: Nigel Jones will describe the involvement of high-frequency (gamma) oscillations in schizophrenia-relevant behaviours. Gamma oscillations are closely linked to several higher order cognitive processes, such as working memory, attention and sensory perception. These same processes are disrupted in patients with schizophrenia. Several reports document abnormal gamma oscillations in this disorder, suggesting that aberrant gamma oscillations directly lead to the symptoms of schizophrenia. Furthermore, NMDA receptors are closely linked to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and antagonists at these receptor disturb the regulation of gamma oscillations and cause disruptions in key behavioural domains. This seminar will bring together these three phenomena – gamma oscillations, NMDA receptors and schizophrenia-relevant behaviours – to attempt to clarify these interrelationships, identifying key cellular substrates and biological mechanisms with a goal to demonstrate how aberrant regulation of gamma oscillations cause behavioural disturbance..

Associate Professor Nigel Jones is a behavioural neuroscientist in the Department of Medicine, Central Clinical School, Monash University at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. His research focusses on understanding the biological basis of neurological and psychiatric disorders, in particular epilepsy and schizophrenia. His lab employs of a range of advanced behavioural tests of cognition, anxiety, and depression, coupled with in vivo electrophysiology, molecular biology, in vivo imaging, opto/chemogenetic, immunocytochemical and transgenic methods. We also study the role and influence of neuronal oscillations in cognitive behaviours in physiological circumstances, using sophisticated behavioural tasks and high-end electrophysiological recordings.

Inmed meeting room, Tuesday October 2nd, 11 a.m.