European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ECMTB 2026)

A harmful cycle: understanding the roles of inflammation, serotonin and the blood brain barrier in neurological development through mathematical models.

MS13-01

13 Jul 2026, 15:00

20m

01.15 - HS (University of Graz)

Minisymposium Talk Cutting Edge Research Areas Mathematical Endocrinology: Models of Regulation, Disease and Dynamics

Speaker

Ami Radunskaya (Pomona College)

Description

Experimental results have highlighted the role of serotonin in fetal brain development, and have indicated that inflammation can cause a cyclical disruption to the blood-brain barrier permeability, leading to long-term neurological disorders. In this talk I will present a mathematical model of the tryptophan-serotonin pathway in the placenta that includes modulation by maternal inflammation. In particular, we explore the hypothesis that blood brain barrier disruption due to gestational maternal immune activation can initiate a cycling of immune activation and BBB dysfunction that persists into adulthood. The model has the potential to help us understand a possible mechanism for the development of mental disorders.