Ph.D. Theses

Spatial navigation is an essential behavior for all moving life-forms. A main mammalian brain structure implicated in this process is the hippocampal formation. [...]

Tau protein is a microtubule associated protein present abundantly in the neurons of the central nervous system where it stabilizes the axonal microtubules thereby providing structural architecture for the axons of neurons. Aggregation of Tau occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases collectively termed tauopathies including Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). [...]

Tau is one of the microtubule associated proteins which can bind and stabilize microtubules. It is classified as a natively unfolded protein. [...]

Biological systems are ubiquitous, encompassing complex molecular networks governing single-cell organisms to expansive ecosystems profoundly impacting our planet's environment. In biology, the adoption of a systems approach seeks to achieve a comprehensive, quantitative understanding of living organisms comparable in some ways to the kind of understanding we have of systems in engineering and physics. [...]

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as prion diseases and Alzheimer’s disease, disease-associated proteins misfold and form amyloid deposits that progressively invade the CNS, leading to severe neurodegeneration. Accumulating evidence suggests that amyloid proteins propagate in a prion-like, self-perpetuating manner, but the mechanism of aggregate multiplication in mammals remains unclear. [...]

Dendrites are highly branched extensions of nerve cells, along which signals are received and propagated to the cell body. The correct morphology of dendrites is essential for the function of the nervous system. [...]

Excessive neutrophil activation is a feature of many inflammatory diseases. Neutrophils from affected patients are prone to release reactive oxygen species (ROS) and toxic granule proteins or to undergo NETosis, a special form of cell death characterized by the release of extracellular DNA traps (NETs). [...]

Aging and Alzheimer' s disease (AD) are two highly intertwined pathological processes. Indeed, one of the highest risk factors for developing AD is age. [...]