About the seminar: The seminar will present newly published data from the Thompson lab on a role for contralesional spreading depolarization in learning and memory after stroke. A new stroke model in awake freely behaving mice will be discussed as well as longitudinal changes in gene expression 1 year after stroke. These transcriptomic changes may be linked to cognitive decline.

Relevant pre-reading: Contralesional hippocampal spreading depolarization promotes functional recovery after stroke

About Dr. Thompson: Dr. Thompson is a Professor at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary. His research focusses on pannexin-1 biology as it relates to stroke, cognitive decline and physiological brain functions. He has Bachelors (Queen’s University), PhD (McMaster University) and postdoctoral (University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, University of British Columbia) experience and has been researching brain pathologies for over 20 years. His active research program focusses on identifying new molecular pathways and designing custom molecules to protect brain cells during disease.