How our brains and nervous systems operate and send messages throughout our bodies affects everything from how well our organs function to how well we navigate our environments.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame study the origins of brain and nervous system development to better understand the root causes of disease and to navigate the complexities of our environment.
“If you’re a human being walking around, there’s literally not a thing that you do that does not engage the peripheral and central nervous system,” said Nancy Michael, director of undergraduate studies for the neuroscience and behavior major in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame.
Neural development matters in research because it can help map out signals in the body and how our brains work and communicate between the brain and the rest of our body. Research in this area can give us clues of how cells in our bodies begin and operate, which can then provide clues as to how the body behaves when it is sick, and when it is well. A better analysis of the neural system within our body can impact society in ways ranging from increased mental health treatment to being able to make breakthroughs in regenerating cells and the way we treat neurodegenerative diseases.
“I think everyone has some level of fascination with the brain – it controls so much of how we live and interact with the world,” said Katrina Adams, the Gallagher Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences.
The research of the following professors represents different ways discoveries at the University of Notre Dame may impact future knowledge about how cells in the nervous system begin and organize, as well as how the brain’s communication with the rest of our bodies matters to our own wellbeing.
Cody J. Smith, the Gallagher Family Associate Professor of Stem Cell Biology in the Department of Biological Sciences, first became interested in the nervous system because the photographs of its cells were fascinatingly intricate.
In his lab, Smith researches several parts of the nervous system. He and fellow professors work to learn how cell populations build and rebuild the nervous system.
“It’s such an amazing puzzle, and a puzzle that we’ll probably never fully solve,” he said.
But scientists are trying—figuring out how cells organize in the nervous system can eventually help us reverse or prevent disease.
Also, researching the nervous system means we can build knowledge around how diseases manifest.
“My lab lives by the philosophy that in order to understand disease, you have to first have the blueprint,” he said. The blueprint, according to Smith? The body when it’s healthy.
And this research occurs in surprising ways. For example, researchers have worked to study nerve regeneration in zebrafish. These fish are translucent, meaning researchers can see cells move around within them. The research assessed how and whether cells could regenerate.
“We actually get to watch the hypothesis as it’s unfolding, which to me is so powerful,” he said.
In 2019, he won the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award, which provided $1.5 million to support research on glial cells, non-neuronal cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
“Our hope is that if we can describe this very important and basic cell biology,” he said, “we can use that to target disease.”
Zoltan Toroczkai is a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and a concurrent professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering.
His specialty is complexity – researching complex systems, bringing together tools from math and physics to study the physical foundations of computing, network science and in particular brain neuronal networks.
Toroczkai’s research interest taps into how neural networks operate in mammalian brains. His discoveries could lead to better understanding our own brains which will help build artificial neuronal networks with brain-like capability.
The nervous system is fascinating, he said.
“Frankly this is the most complex network you can think of,” he said. “How does that go from the very simple behavior of a neuron to the behavior of a human? How does this network achieve that?”
Network science, the study of various networks, can be a powerful tool for studying systems like the brain.
Toroczkai’s research has included analyzing multiple, empirical brain connectivity datasets from different species, including rodents and primates, in order to better see the commonalities in their wiring patterns. The ultimate goal of this type of research is how it could potentially lead to the discovery of the fundamental principles of information processing in the mammalian brain.
Interdisciplinary research is important within this field of study, he said. Network scientists working alongside neuroscientists are necessary in order to develop an understanding of how the brain functions, both in health and disease.
His research has included mapping out brain connectivity. By studying the wiring of the brain, Toroczkai hopes to better identify the structures responsible for brain function and behavior.
Eventually, this research into neural systems can potentially help assess mental illness. Researchers could devise targets or behavioral therapies to drive the brain network into a healthier state.
“Once we understand what a normal brain looks like, we can understand its breakdown,” he said.
Katrina’s Adams, the Gallagher Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, does research that could potentially change how we approach the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Adams first became interested in this work during her doctoral program when she joined a lab that studied nervous system development.
There, her research centered on motor neurons, which are the neurons that control muscle movement. She was drawn to the complexity of how these neurons develop and how they find their correct muscle targets.
“How problems with these cells can cause disease captivated me as a student, and I knew I wanted to continue research on nervous system development and disease,” she said.
Research into regeneration matters because regeneration is the ability to replace lost or damaged cells or tissue within our bodies. This has enormous potential for treating disease and injury, she explained.
“Unlike other tissues in the human body, such as the liver or blood cells, the brain cannot regenerate,” she said. But through research, scientists can better know why regeneration is limited in the mammalian brain, and how to potentially promote spontaneous repair mechanisms.
“This holds great potential to treat a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries,” Adams said, including those like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease
By exploring mechanisms that control and limit repair following brain injuries in mouse models, she seeks to identify new therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Then, she and collaborators use human brain patient tissue samples to examine how those processes may or may not be present in the human brain.
“Our goal is to discover signaling pathways that we could target with drugs or other therapies to promote regeneration,” she said. “The first step is to know what signaling pathways and cells in the brain we should target.”
Nancy Michael, studies how better grasping our brain development can translate to healthier communities.
Michael's research ties together neuroscience and behavior, because learning how the nervous system and brain work can help us live better lives.
She develops and implements NEAR Science (which stands for Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience) approaches that aim to mitigate the impact of toxic stress on individuals and in communities.
Many people expect adults to have certain accountability and values, and expect children to learn at school, for example. But in fact these behaviors can be tied to the nervous system. Perhaps the way a person’s nervous system works can contribute to a difficulty in concentration.
“A NEAR Science approach helps do this translational science communication work of the developing nervous system,” she said.
She hopes that the University’s research can better help people build resilience as well as know their own bodies. This in turn might help lead to more compassionate and calm spaces.
As an example of this, Michael works with Self-Healing Communities, a nonprofit based in South Bend that creates and curates resources on the neuroscience of trauma and resilience to help communities better care for each other.
“I have a very firm belief that science does matter and should matter and particularly neuroscience should matter far more practically in the ways in which every human being lives,” she said.
Alison Bowen is a writer, editor and strategist whose byline appears in a variety of university publications as well as national newspapers and magazines.