Specific Clinical/Research Interests:  Molecular Neuroscience; Neurotrophin Signaling; Neuropeptides; Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; Obesity; Diabetes; Depression; Major Depressive Disorder; Alzheimer's Disease.

Summary of Research Studies: Our research is focused on understanding the mechanisms by which neurotrophic growth factors, including nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), regulate nervous system development and function. BDNF and NGF have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disease, neuropsychiatric illness, CNS injury, and obesity. The contributions made by specific neurotrophin-regulated gene products to depression, memory, and energy balance, are being being examined using novel knockout, transgenic, and knockin mouse models. The lab has identified VGF, a secreted neuronal and neuroendocrine peptide precursor, and the cell adhesion molecule (CAM) L1 or NILE, as important gene products that are induced by neurotrophins including NGF and BDNF during neural differentiation and CNS/PNS development. Cultured neurons, neural and endocrine cell lines, hippocampal slices, and mouse models are all utilized to study effects of these proteins on synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, axonal outgrowth, and axonal pathfinding. We are currently determining the signaling pathways, networks, and functional roles that these neurotrophin-regulated molecules play in clinically relevant diseases, including in major depressive disorder, neuropathic pain, obesity, and Alzheimer's disease.

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