Dr. Sabine Cordes
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
We are investigating molecular mechanisms that promote mental well-being through collaborations with colleagues at the LTRI and across Toronto. One of our key areas of interests is mood disorders, where we study the neurotransmitter serotonin, known for its role in regulating mood as well as body temperature, sleep and hunger as well as mood.We have identified a molecular program that helps maintain the functions of serotonin-producing and other neurons, offering new insights into how the brain maintains emotional balance.
We are also investigating the impact of caffeine on the body. While many of us enjoy coffee for its stimulating effects, research shows that moderate consumption – about two cups daily – may reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. However caffeine does not affect everyone in the same way. In some people, it can trigger or worsen conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms. Our goal is to understand how caffeine can be harnessed for its neuroprotective benefits while minimizing its inflammatory impact on the gut.
Finally, we are investigating the molecular underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts how people interact and communicate with others and how they learn and behave. Over the last decades hundreds of genetic variants have been associated with ASD, but no single gene accounts for more than a few per cent of cases. Working with Dr. Ben Blencowe at the University of Toronto, we discovered a molecular program that introduces subtle changes into many ASD-associated genes. Remarkably this program is downregulated in a substantial portion of individuals with ASD suggesting it may act to fine-tune brain development. We are now exploring how this pathway cane be targeted therapeutically.
Email: [email protected]
Room 876, 600 University Avenue
Toronto, M5G 1X5
- 2022–present; Scientific Editorial Board, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
- 2016–present; Scientific Editorial Board, Disease Models and Mechanisms
- 2015–present; Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto
- 2004–present; Senior Investigator, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto
- Postdoctoral fellow, Departments of Genetics and Pediatrics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA, USA;
- PhD Department of Biochemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA;
- BSc Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA;
- 2019–2026 – Canada Research Chair in Molecular Mechanisms of Mood and Mind
Discovering protective factors for human mood disorders
The neurotransmitter serotonin plays many roles in our bodies, including regulating body temperature, sleep, hunger and our moods. Serotonin has been implicated in mood and psychiatric disorders and drugs that increase perceived serotonin in the brain remain amongst the most effective treatments for depression. We have identified a molecular program that helps maintain the functions of serotonin-producing and other neurons.
Caffeine: neuroprotective vs inflammation-promoting effects
Many of us enjoy the invigorating effects of a cup of coffee. Remarkably, regular, moderate coffee consumption (e.g., two to four cups, 200-400 mg caffeine) may help decrease the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. While such neuroprotective effects are positives, individual responses to caffeine can be variable. In some people, caffeine can trigger or worsen inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms. We are investigating how to harness its neuroprotective actions and minimize its detrimental, inflammatory effects in intestines.
SRRM4 as a regulatory hub in autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts how people interact and communicate with others and how they learn and behave. Over the last decades hundreds of genetic variants have been associated with ASD, but no single gene accounts for more than a few percent of cases.
In collaboration with Dr. Ben Blencowe (Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto), we found that the Serine/Arginine Repetitive Matrix 4 (SRRM4, nSR100) protein regulates a molecular (RNA splicing) program that can introduce small critical changes to many ASD-associated genes and tune their functions. Remarkably, SRRM4 and its program are downregulated in a substantial fraction of ASD cases examined. Our findings support the idea that SRRM4 may represents a long sought-after adjustable ‘regulatory hub’, and we have begun to explore this therapeutically.
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