Silvia Pagliardini

Area of Study / Keywords

respiratory neurobiology neuroscience in vivo physiology optogenetics brainstem sleep states sleep disordered breathing immunohistochemistry inspiratory/ expiratory activity EMG/EEG confocal imaging sleep chemogenetics electrophysiology

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About

Dr. Silvia Pagliardini is currently appointed as Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

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Research

neuromodulation of breathing; state dependent modulation of breathing; sleep disordered breathing; respiratory rhythmogenesis.

Breathing is an automatic behaviour that is essential for mammalian life and requires a coordinated contraction of respiratory muscles that must occur continuously, from birth until the last breath. In humans and other mammals the part of the brain that controls respiratory activity is the brainstem, where specialized groups of neurons generate a continuous rhythm that ultimately drives respiratory muscles. Two regions in the brainstem contribute to generate respiratory rhythms, the preBötzinger Complex (that drives inspiratory muscle activity) and the paraFacial Respiratory Group (that drives expiratory muscle activity).

Respiratory activity is also highly influenced by brain state activity, with abnormalities and irregularities occurring most frequently during sleep, when voluntary respiratory control is lacking, and chemosensitive and propriosensory feedback systems are often insufficient to maintain a rhythmic respiratory drive and airway patency (sleep disordered breathing).

Research conducted in the Pagliardini laboratory aims to gain an understanding of the neuronal mechanisms that control breathing and affect its function during sleep, when the majority of respiratory disorders of central origin occur. We are currently interested in delineating the function of a region in the brainstem that is crucial for the generation of expiratory activity, the paraFacial Respiratory Group. Its contribution to ventilation in health and disease is yet not clear. We are also interested to study how brain state and different neuromodulators affect breathing rhythm and pattern.

We use a combination of physiological, anatomical, pharmacological,chemogenetic and optogenetic techniques to test our hypotheses.

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Teaching

Respiratory Physiology (PHYSL210); Neurophysiology (PHYSL310); PHYSL Honors Research coordinator (PHYSL461,467,468/469); PHYSL reading course (PHYSL466); Optogenetics&Chemogenetics (PMCOL371). 

Neuroscience undergraduate program coordinator.

NEURO 450 - Readings on Selected Topics in Neuroscience

An individual study course involving detailed reading on a selected topic in cellular, molecular, systems, or cognitive neuroscience. Students will select a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI) who will guide them through a course of reading on a specialized topic at an advanced level. Completion of this course requires an oral presentation to an examining committee. Restricted to students in the Honors program in Neuroscience. Registration must be approved by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI). Prerequisites: PMCOL 371, PHYSL 372.

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PHYSL 461 - Undergraduate Research Project

Individual study, open to Physiology Honours undergraduate students who have identified a supervisor in the Department of Physiology. Co-supervision with Professors from other Departments is possible, provided that a supervisor from the department of Physiology is identified. Students will spend one term in the laboratory of a faculty member and carry out a laboratory physiology research project. Registration package and further information are available on the Physiology Department website. Prerequisites: PHYSL 210 or PHYSL 212/214 and consent from the course coordinator.

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Browse more courses taught by Silvia Pagliardini

Saini J.K., Janes T.A., MacLean J.E., Pagliardini S.

Journal of Sleep Research. 2022 August; 31 (4) 10.1111/jsr.13539

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International Society of Arterial Chemoreception (ISAC) XXI Meeting, Lisbon June 2022.. 2022 June; https://arterialchemoreceptors.org/

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Preventing Overdiagnosis 2022 Conference, Calgary (AB).. 2022 June;

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Hauer B.E., Pagliardini S., Dickson C.T.

Hippocampus. 2022 June; 32 (6):466-477 10.1002/hipo.23420

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Cardani S., Janes T.A., Saini J.K., Di Lascio S., Benfante R., Fornasari D., Pagliardini S.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022 May; 23 (9) 10.3390/ijms23094816

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Joseph V., Pagliardini S., Belaidi E.

Frontiers in Physiology. 2022 February; 13 10.3389/fphys.2022.857627

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Rohhad International Consortium.. 2022 February; https://www.rohhad.org/conference

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Rapid-onset obesity with hypothalamic dysregulation, hypoventilation and autonomic dysregulation (ROHAAD) International Consortium.. 2022 February; https://www.rohhad.org/conference

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Hauer B.E., Pagliardini S., Dickson C.T.

Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. 2022 January; 15 10.3389/fnana.2021.804872

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Alberta respiratory Centre Research Day. 2021 November;

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2021 Alberta respiratory Centre Research Day . 2021 November;

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2021 WCHRI Research Day . 2021 October;

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2021 WCHRI Research Day . 2021 October;

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2021 WCHRI Research Day. 2021 October;

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2021 Experimental Biology.. 2021 May; 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.01939

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2021 Experimental Biology.. 2021 May; https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.02104

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Biancardi V., Saini J., Pageni A., Prashaad M. H., Funk G.D., Pagliardini S.

Journal of Comparative Neurology. 2021 March; 529 (4):853-884 10.1002/cne.24984

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Baddam P., Biancardi V., Roth D.M., Eaton F., Thereza-Bussolaro C., Mandal R., Wishart D.S., Barr A., MacLean J., Flores-Mir C., Pagliardini S., Graf D.

DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms. 2021 February; 14 (2) 10.1242/dmm.047738