Minding Our Microbial Symbionts

The "The Search for Fundamental Rules Underlying How Microbiomes Are Constructed" lecture is part of the Microbiomes Presidential Lecture Series in Biology.

Mammals have coevolved with a vast, diverse community of symbiotic microorganisms that profoundly influence host biology, including brain function and behavior. While many findings now support the existence of a microbiome-gut-brain axis, exactly how gut microbes interact with the nervous system to influence a variety of complex behaviors remains poorly understood.

In this talk, Elaine Hsiao will discuss recent discoveries that reveal biological pathways for communication between the gut microbiota and the brain.

Hsiao is a director of the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and De Logi associate professor of biological sciences at UCLA, where she is interested in all things microbial, neural and immune. She completed her B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA, which sparked her love for molecular biology and bacteria. She went on to complete her Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Caltech, where she studied the neurobiological bases of autism and schizophrenia with a focus on maternal effects on fetal development and neuroimmune and microbial contributions to behavioral disorders. Inspired by the amazing and complex interactions between body systems, the Hsiao laboratory is investigating how peripheral changes in the immune system and resident microbiota impact the nervous system.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

• You must be 18+ to attend this event
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• Limited seating is available for this in-person event and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Please note that by entering the Simons Foundation, you are attesting that you are not experiencing COVID symptoms and are not knowingly positive for COVID.

SCHEDULE

Doors open: 5:30 p.m. (No entrance before 5:30 p.m.)

Lecture: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Admittance closes at 6:20 p.m.)

The Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and offers accessible seating to visitors with special access needs.

The theme of the 2023 Simons Foundation Presidential Lecture series in biology is Microbiomes. Microscopic lifeforms live just about everywhere on Earth — in the deep ocean, suspended in the atmosphere and even in our planet’s interior. Microbial communities can even thrive within plants and animals, affecting the biology and biochemistry inside their hosts. On the environmental scale, microbial communities profoundly impact food chains, biogeochemical cycling and climate. This series of talks will explore microbiomes and their roles in specific hosts and environments.