//     SABRIN HADDAD

Obermair Research Group
Institute of Physiology,
Medical University of Innsbruck

//     INFORMATION

Nationality:
Education: BSc in Pharmacy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Israel. MSc in Neuroscience, University of Pisa, Italy
E-Mail: sabrin.haddad@i-med.ac.at
Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Gerald Obermair (Medical University, Karl Landsteiner)

//     PROJECT

The classical roles of auxiliary α2δ subunits on voltage-gated calcium channels, namely regulating the functional membrane expression and modulating the calcium currents, are widely recognized. However, over the recent years accumulating evidence suggests an important role of α2δ subunits in synapse formation and differentiation. Therefore, it is not surprising that α2δ subunits have been involved in various neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, bipolar disorder and in particular, autism spectrum disorders, emphasizing their importance in brain connectivity. Most of previous studies that investigated the consequences of altered α2δ subunits addressed only its role as an auxiliary subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels. Hence, in my project I will be establishing new state-of-the art procedures to characterize α2δ mutations not only by testing the effects on the biophysical properties of calcium channels but also by addressing the role of α2δ in synapse differentiation and formation.

The aim of my project is to investigate and characterize potential autism-causing mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3. Studying the structural and functional consequences of these mutations will help understanding the pathophysiology and may open the way for the development of novel therapeutic paradigms.

Methods: Site directed mutagenesis, primary neuronal cell culture and transfection, immunofluorescent staining, high-resolution microscopy, whole-cell patch-clamp, brain slice electrophysiology.

//     INTERNAL COLLABORATIONS

//     EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS

  • Institute of Anatomy and Molecular Neurobiology, WWU Münster.