Seminar Series – Chu Chen, Ph.D.

Dr. Chu Chen is a Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology in the Neuroscience Center at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

Research Summary:
While the etiology of AD is multifactorial and complex, it is widely accepted that cognitive and memory deficits in AD primarily result from synaptic failure. However, the mechanisms underlying synaptic dysfunction remain unclear. Non-coding small RNAs have been implicated in neurodegenerative dieases. We discovered that miR-30b, which targets molecules important for synapses, is robustly upregulated, while expression of its targets is significantly downregulated in the brains of both AD patients and APP transgenic mice. Changes in miR-30b levels profound alter synaptic structure and function as well as cognitive function . The results also revealed that expression of miR-30b is regulated by inflammatory factors through NF-κB signaling. Our study provides a previously undefined mechanism responsible for synaptic dysfunction in AD, suggesting that reversal of dysregulated miR-30b in the brain may prevent or slow cognitive declines in AD.