Keio University Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (WPI-Bio2Q) held a seminar as follows.

The 173rd Brain Club Mini-symposium, organized by the Yuzaki Laboratory, WPI-Bio2Q, Keio University.
The Brain Club Seminar series invites leading researchers from various fields to share their cutting-edge work and to foster open and stimulating discussions in an informal atmosphere.

Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Time: 14:00–17:00
Venue: JKiC Seminar Room, Keio University Shinanomachi Campus
Mini-Symposium on Synapses: From Assembly to Receptor Mechanisms

Neural circuits in the brain are built through synaptic connections between neurons, where fast information transfer is largely mediated by AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs). Because abnormalities in synapse formation and function are implicated in many neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, understanding the mechanisms of synapse assembly—and the structure and function of AMPARs—remains a central challenge in neuroscience.
In this mini-symposium, four leading researchers presented the latest advances spanning synapse formation, circuit organization, and receptor mechanisms.

Speakers:

Ingo Greger (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK)
“Relating AMPA receptor structure to function at the synapse”

Joris de Wit (VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium)
“From proteins to circuits: defining pyramidal neuron input architecture and remodeling in disease”

Pierre Paoletti (Institut de Biologie de l’ENS, France)
“Optochemical profiling of NMDAR molecular diversity at synaptic and extrasynaptic sites”

Yimin Zou (University of California, San Diego, USA)
“Emerging Roles of Planar Cell Polarity in Assembly, Maintenance, and Function of Glutamatergic Synapses”