MBB JUNIOR SYMPOSIUM 2023:
TWO BRAINS, ONE ORGANISM: THE GUT AND THE BRAIN

Please note: This event is not open to the public.

The MBB junior symposium features talks by and discussions with a variety of scholars on an interdisciplinary theme in mind/brain/behavior. The symposium will include speaker presentations and a panel discussion with speakers and symposium organizers. Participation is required of students pursuing the Certificate in MBB (students in honors MBB tracks) and is also open and recommended to students pursuing or considering a secondary field in MBB.


SYMPOSIUM THEME

The gut has been named our 'second brain,' given its complexity and the fact that it has its own nervous, hormonal, and immune system. Both the gut and brain are hubs of connectivity in our body and share a long evolutive history that made them deeply interwind. Today we are just starting to understand the gut's complexity and its impact on brain functions. In this symposium, three speakers will walk us through the intricate characteristics of the enteric nervous system, the connection between gut and sleep, and the relationship between people's gut microbiota composition and cognition.


PRE-REGISTRATION

All MBB undergraduates are welcome to attend. If you are a junior or senior participating to complete the symposium requirement, please register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11vqmiY25TF_8ad0PVLwhHAzl6Gv_R39ujrqQXT7Q05k by Wednesday, March 29th.

SCHEDULE

3 p.m. - Welcome and Introduction, Elizabeth Phelps

3:10 p.m. – Crafting a new understanding of the post-natal development, maintenance, and aging of the enteric nervous system, Subhash Kulkarni
 

3:40 p.m. – Sleep and the gut – an unexpected connection, Alen Juginovic

4:10 p.m. – Gut microbiota composition in humans in associated with emotional learning and memory, Javiera P. Oyarzun

4:40 p.m. – Panel Discussion, led by Elizabeth Phelps

TALKS AND SPEAKERS

Crafting a new understanding of the post-natal development, maintenance, and aging of the enteric nervous system
Subhash Kulkarni (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, https://www.enteric-neuron.com/people)
The Enteric Nervous System (or ENS) is the second largest nervous system in the vertebrates, as it contains more neurons than the spinal cord, and its neurons and glial cells. Together, these regulate significant and diverse gastrointestinal and systemic functions. However, despite this, our understanding of how it matures to handle the increasing diversity and complexity of gut functions in the post-natal phase of life, and how its structural and functional integrity is impacted with age and with other conditions leading to intestinal dysfunction. I will present some of our work that provide new and paradigm shifting insights into neuronal lineages that underlie post-natal maturation and aging of the ENS.

Sleep and the gut – an unexpected connection
Alen Juginovic (Research Fellow in Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, http://roguljalab.hms.harvard.edu/research)
Sleep is a vital physiological process that plays a crucial role in maintaining our physical and mental health. Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk for a number of disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, psychiatric and neurological disorders, as well as cancer. But how exactly is sleep deprivation linked to all of these conditions? Our research team at Harvard Medical School has found that lack of sleep can cause a buildup of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in one rather surprising organ - the gut. This accumulation of ROS can lead to oxidative stress, cell damage and reduced lifespan in animals. When animals are fed antioxidants or when antioxidant enzymes specifically in the gut are activated and ROS are removed, animals can live a completely normal lifespan even without sleep. We believe this can contribute to a range of sleep-related disorders in humans too. In my talk, I will present these findings, as well as talk about the importance of sleep for health. Finally, I will be presenting our latest research on how different types of diet (e.g. protein, fat, sugar) affect sleep since we found that different types of food can actually significantly impact sleep quality.

Gut microbiota composition in humans is associated with emotional learning and memory
Javiera P. Oyarzun (Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychology Department at Harvard University, https://www.phelpslab.com/javiera-oyarzun)
The ability to learn from experiences and form memories is a fundamental cognitive mechanism allowing individuals to predict their environment and adapt their behavior accordingly. We know that the malfunction of these cognitive mechanisms contributes to several disorders, including depression, anxiety, and dementia. For this reason, cognitive neuroscience has spent decades understanding the factors that influence learning and memory. Only recently, we have learned from rodent studies that the microbes that reside in the gut - the gut microbiota - can deeply affect brain cognition. In this talk, I will show how people's gut microbiota makeup can be associated with how they learn about threats and form episodic memories. This work suggests that the gut microbiota is a modifiable factor and, thus, a potential target for the modulation of human learning and memory.


ORGANIZERS

Elizabeth Phelps (Pershing Square Professor of Human Neuroscience, Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/elizabeth-phelps-0)

Javiera P. Oyarzyn (Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychology Department at Harvard University, https://www.phelpslab.com/javiera-oyarzun))