A5037344751- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling
- Axon Guidance and Neuronal Signaling
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Signaling Pathways in Disease
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Pharmacological Effects and Assays
Albany Medical Center Hospital
2019-2024
Center for Autism and Related Disorders
2017-2021
Massachusetts General Hospital
2017-2021
Harvard University
2016-2021
Duke University
2017-2018
New York University
2013-2016
University of California, Irvine
2014
Abstract Adolescence is a developmental period in which the mesolimbic dopaminergic “reward” circuitry of brain, including nucleus accumbens (NAc), undergoes significant plasticity. Dopamine D1 receptors (D1rs) NAc are critical for social behavior, but how these regulated during adolescence not well understood. In this report, we demonstrate that microglia and complement-mediated phagocytic activity shapes development by eliminating D1rs male, female rats, adolescence. Moreover,...
Although the importance of spaced training trials in formation long-term memory (LTM) is widely appreciated, surprisingly little known about molecular mechanisms that support interactions between individual trials. The intertrial dynamics ERK/MAPK activation have recently been correlated with effective patterns for LTM. However, whether and how MAPK required to mediate remains unknown. Using a novel two-trial pattern which induces LTM Aplysia, we show first two recruits delayed protein...
YAP and TAZ are effectors of the Hippo pathway that controls multicellular development by integrating chemical mechanical signals. Peripheral nervous system depends on pathway. We previously showed loss impairs peripheral nerve as well Schwann cell myelination. The role in regeneration has just started to be explored. After injury, cells adopt new identities promote converting a repair-promoting phenotype. While reprogramming repair been characterized, maintenance such phenotype cannot...
Early-life conditions can contribute to the propensity for developing neuropsychiatric disease, including substance abuse disorders. However, long-lasting mechanisms that shape risk or resilience drug addiction remain unclear. Previous work has shown a neonatal handling procedure in rats (which promotes enriched maternal care) attenuates morphine conditioning, reduces morphine-induced glial activation, and increases microglial expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10)....
Abstract Background Damage to the cerebral vasculature can lead vascular contributions cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). A reduction in blood flow brain leads neuropathology, including neuroinflammation white matter lesions that are a hallmark of VCID. Mid-life metabolic disease (obesity, prediabetes, or diabetes) is risk factor for VCID which may be sex-dependent (female bias). Methods We compared effects mid-life between males females chronic hypoperfusion mouse model C57BL/6J mice...
Adolescence is pivotal for neural and behavioral development across species. During this period, maturation occurs in several biological systems, the most well-recognized being activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis marking pubertal onset. Increasing comparative studies sex differences have enriched our understanding systems integration during neurodevelopment. In recent years, immune signaling has emerged as a key node interaction between variety processes. Herein, we review age-...
Evolutionarily conserved, peer-directed social behaviors are essential to participate in many aspects of human society. These directly impact psychological, physiological, and behavioral maturation. Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved period during which reward-related behaviors, including develop via developmental plasticity the mesolimbic dopaminergic 'reward' circuitry brain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) intermediate reward relay center that develops adolescence mediates both...
Neurotrophins are critically involved in developmental processes such as neuronal cell survival, growth, and differentiation, well adult synaptic plasticity contributing to learning memory. Our previous studies examining neurotrophins memory formation Aplysia showed that a TrkB ligand is required for MAPK activation, long-term facilitation (LTF), (LTM) sensitization. These indicate neurotrophin-like molecules can act key elements functionally conserved signaling pathway. Here we report have...
Glutamate transporters preserve the spatial specificity of synaptic transmission by limiting glutamate diffusion away from cleft, and prevent excitotoxicity keeping extracellular concentration at low nanomolar levels. are abundantly expressed in astrocytes, previous estimates have been obtained about their surface expression astrocytes rat hippocampus cerebellum. Analogous for mouse currently not available. In this work, we derive density astrocytic mice different ages via quantitative dot...
Drug exposure during adolescence, when the "reward" circuitry of brain is developing, can permanently impact reward-related behavior into adulthood. Epidemiological studies show that opioid treatment such as pain management for a dental procedure or surgery, increases incidence psychiatric illness including substance use disorders. Moreover, epidemic currently in United States affecting younger individuals raising impetus to understand pathogenesis negative effects opioids. One develops...
The ability to form long-lasting memories is critical survival and thus highly conserved across the animal kingdom. By virtue of its complexity, this same vulnerable disruption by a wide variety neuronal traumas pathologies. To identify effective therapies with which treat memory disorders, it have clear understanding cellular molecular mechanisms subserve normal learning memory. A significant challenge achieving level posed range distinct temporal spatial profiles signaling induced...
Long-term memory (LTM) formation is a critical survival process by which an animal retains information about prior experiences to guide future behavior. In the experimentally advantageous marine mollusk Aplysia , LTM for sensitization can be induced presentation of two aversive shocks animal's tail. Each these training trials recruits distinct growth factor signaling systems that promote formation. Specifically, whereas intact TrkB during Trial 1 promotes initial and transient increase...
Opioids have long been used for clinical pain management, but also addictive properties that contributed to the ongoing opioid epidemic. While activation of receptors is well known contribute reward and reinforcement, data now suggest immune signaling via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) may play a role in addiction-like processes. TLR4 expression enriched cells, nervous system primarily expressed microglia. Microglial phagocytosis important developmental, homeostatic, pathological To examine how...
Abstract Adolescence is a developmental period in which the mesolimbic dopaminergic ‘reward’ circuitry of brain, including nucleus accumbens (NAc), undergoes significant plasticity and neural circuit maturation. Dopamine D1 receptors (D1rs) NAc have recently been demonstrated to be critical modulators social behavior, but how these are regulated adolescence mediate behavior not well understood. In this report, we used multi-plexed immunohistochemistry with volumetric reconstructions,...
The use of immunohistochemistry to quantify neural markers in various brain regions is a staple neuroscience research. Numerous programs exist automate quantification, but manual assignment interest (ROIs) within individual sections remains time consuming and can introduce interobserver variability. We have developed novel open source FIJI-based immunohistochemical data analysis pipeline, Atlas-Based Analysis (ABA). ABA uses landmark-based image warping adjust the experimental closely align...
Abstract Data in both humans and preclinical animal models clearly indicate drug exposure during adolescence, when the “reward” circuitry of brain develops, increases risk substance use other mental health disorders later life. Human data that different neural behavioral sequelae can be observed early versus late adolescence. However, most studies with rodent examine a single adolescent age compared to mature adult age, often only males. Herein, we sought determine whether acute response...