Sat. Oct 12, 2019 2:50 PM - 4:30 PM Room 14 (Palace Room A)

Organizer / Chair: ‌Atsufumi KAWABATA (Laboratory of Pharmacology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, Japan), Co-chair: Masako ISEKI (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Japan), Discussants: ‌Katsuo TOIDE (Neuroscience Drug Discovery Consulting, Japan), Fumiko SEKIGUCHI (Laboratory of Pharmacology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, Japan)

Accumulating evidence has unveiled the critical roles of neuroinflammation, particularly related to innate immune responses, in diverse neurological disorders. A variety of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)/alarmins, released endogenously from host cells, interact with pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), thereby promoting inflammation throughout the mammalian body including the brain. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), one of the best known DAMPs/alarmins, is now considered to play a crucial role in the development of neuroinflammation, which is associated with stroke, dementia, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, etc. Prothymosin alpha regulates the neuroimmune systems as a unique member of DAMPs/alarmins. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), the best known PRRs, recognize a variety of DAMPs/alarmins, in addition to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and participate in the pathogenesis of diverse neurological disorders. In this symposium, four speakers will focus on DAMPs/alarmins and PRRs in the neuronal systems, which are essential for the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, innovation of the therapeutic strategies and development of the biomarkers. Dr. Hsueh, one of the most active female researchers in Taiwan, will speak about the role of PRRs, particularly TLRs, in regulation of neuronal morphology and function in relation to neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mental retardation, etc. Dr. Okazawa will focus on DAMPs/alarmins-mediated pathologies in dementia including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Ueda will show the unique molecular mechanism for extracellular release of prothymosin alpha, one of neuroprotective DAMPs/alarmins. Finally, Dr. Kawabata will talk about the role of HMGB1 and PRRs including the receptor of advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), TLRs and chemokine receptors in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. In this symposium, we believe that basic researchers, clinical neuroscientists, physicians, employees of pharmaceutical companies, etc. will learn the cutting-edge information concerning the roles of DAMPs/alarmins and PRRs in diverse neurological disorders, which will contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies in future.