PRiME Connaught Global Speaker Series - Feb 6, 2025

Update on Feb 4, 2025:

On behalf of PRiME, we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances, this seminar has been cancelled.

If there are any updates regarding rescheduling, we will notify you as soon as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your understanding.

PRiME Connaught Global Speaker Series

Date: Thursday, Feb 6, 2025, 2:00 - 3:30PM (Refreshments will be provided)
Location: Red Seminar Room, Terrence Donnelly Centre, 160 College Street

Speaker:
Professor Karyn Frick
Distinguished Professor,
Department of Psychology,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Title: “Estrogenic regulation of memory consolidation: Neural mechanisms and implications for menopause and Alzheimer’s disease”

Abstract:
Women are at substantially greater risk of developing age-related memory decline and Alzheimer’s disease than men, in part due to estrogen loss at menopause. Although estrogen therapy can reduce these risks, treatment has been associated with harmful side effects that could be mitigated by the development of drugs that more specifically target the key molecules underlying estrogenic regulation of memory formation.

As such, the primary goal of our research is to pinpoint the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which estrogens, like the potent 17b-estradiol, promote memory consolidation to identify putative targets for the development of next-generation therapeutics that mimic the beneficial effects of estrogens on cognition without detrimental side effects.

This talk will discuss our findings identifying key neural mechanisms mediating estrogenic facilitation of memory consolidation and dendritic spinogenesis in female mice, as well as how these findings have led to the development of novel estrogen receptor modulators to reduce memory loss and vasomotor symptoms of mouse models of menopause and Alzheimer’s disease.  

About Professor Karyn Frick:
Dr. Karyn Frick is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a co-founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Estrigenix Therapeutics, Inc. She has over 30 years of experience studying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory formation, with a particular focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which estrogens regulate memory, hot flashes, and mood. She has published over 120 articles and book chapters, and edited the 2020 book "Estrogens and Memory: Basic Research and Clinical Implications” (Oxford University Press).

Dr. Frick is currently the Associate Department Chair and Head of the Neuroscience Area in her department, is the founding Co-Director of UWM’s Neuroscience B.S. Program, and is the Director and PI of the National Institute on Aging-funded program entitled, “UWM Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Academic Success Through Aging Research (UWM STAR)”, which provides mentored research opportunities in aging and health disparities research for underrepresented undergraduates. Dr. Frick is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science, and has been awarded the Society for Women’s Health Research/Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women’s Health.