Presentation (until minute 50:48), followed by Q&A and informal discussion.

CAMPOS Research Colloquium -- Theanne Griffith, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology
March 9, 2022

Illuminating new roles for Nav1.1 in peripheral sensory function

Voltage gated sodium channels (Navs) are critical mediators of neuronal excitability and are established therapeutic targets for a variety of nervous system disorders, including epilepsy and pain. Of the nine mammalian isoforms, Nav1.1 is notable for the hundreds of associated disease-causing mutations, which often result in severe brain disease. Nav1.1 is also expressed in the peripheral nervous system; however, due to its prominent role in brain function, the role this channel plays in peripheral neurotransmission remains underexplored. In this presentation, Theanne will discuss recent work from her lab that has identified two new roles for Nav1.1 in peripheral somatosensory processing. She will share evidence for important contributions of Nav1.1 to thermosensation, the ability to detect environmental temperature, and proprioception, the ability to detect limb position for purposeful movement. Collectively, this work has expanded our knowledge of Nav1.1 function in the peripheral nervous system and may provide insight as to how mutation of Nav1.1 affects sensory processing.