报告题目： A link between pubertal stress and mental health

主讲人：Nafissa Ismail

主讲人简介：Nafissa Ismail,  Associate professor at the School of Psychology, the University of Ottawa. Honors: 2018 Early Researcher Award, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and Science. Research Interests: Critical periods of development are marked by important physiological and neural changes.

报告时间：2018-10-17   14:30-15:30

地点：系统生物医学研究院 A213

联系人：张晨虹   zhangchenhong@sjtu.edu.cn

讲座简介：Puberty is a critical period of development during which sexual maturity is reached. It is also an important period during which the brain is remodeled and reorganized, making it a sensitive and vulnerable period to environmental stress. Pubertal exposure to an immune challenge results in an enduring decrease in behavioral responsiveness to estradiol as measured both in reproductive and non-reproductive behaviors, such as depression-like behavior in mice. The objective of this presentation is to discuss age and sex differences in immune response and the impact of the gut-brain axis on this response. Our results show that exposure to an immune challenge induces important age and sex differences in immune response, thermoregulation, cytokine mRNA, c-Fos and TH expression. Exposure to probiotics during puberty alters immune response differently in males and females and appears to prevent enduring changes in depression-like behavior, especially in the males. These findings propose potential mechanisms through which exposure to an immune challenge can cause enduring alterations in reproductive and non-reproductive behaviors and possible preventative measures.