Kim “Avrama” Blackwell, V.M.D Ph.D
Department Executive Officer & Professor
Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
University of Iowa
Title: Signaling pathways underlying striatal synaptic plasticity
Abstract: The ability of neurons to respond differentially to specific temporal and spatial patterns of stimulation underlies the storage of memory and information in neural circuits. Synaptic plasticity, a stimulus-dependent change in synaptic strength, is one mechanism underlying memory storage. I report on experiments and simulations to understand the mechanisms underlying pattern discrimination in neurons and to understand sex differences in synaptic plasticity. Our experiments demonstrate that striatal synaptic plasticity is sensitive to temporal pattern and female sex hormones. We created computationally efficient software for stochastic modeling of large molecule populations in dendrites and interactions between dendritic spines. Using this software, we implemented a model of signaling pathways activated by dopamine D1 receptors, acetylcholine receptors, and glutamate receptors. To investigate the response to in vivo like inputs, we created a multi compartmental neuron model with sophisticated calcium dynamics to evaluate the effect of experimentally recorded spike train inputs on synaptic plasticity.
Bio: Dr. Blackwell received a VMD and a PhD in bioengineering at University of Pennsylvania, as part of the Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program. Her professional career began at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, developing artificial neural networks for pattern recognition. In 1996 Dr. Blackwell joined the faculty of George Mason University, focusing on mechanisms of memory storage in real neurons. In August of 2023 she became professor and chair of the Roy J Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa. Dr. Blackwell is a world leader in computational modeling of calcium dynamics and signaling pathways underlying plasticity. She has developed several software tools for large scale dynamical modeling of signaling pathways. She has used this software to create data-driven models of striatal and hippocampal signaling pathways. Dr. Blackwell also uses the experimental technique of brain slice electrophysiology to understand the effect of sex and sex hormones on synaptic plasticity.