UCD Neuroscience: People

Biochemistry

Nicholas W. Seeds, Ph.D., Professor
Developmental neurobiology: molecular aspects of neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth.
Leslie Krushel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Mechanisms and regulation of protein synthesis in the nervous system.

Cell and Developmental Biology

Kristin Bruk Artinger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Developmental mechanisms involved during vertebrate embryogenesis.
Linda A. Barlow, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Molecular-, cellular-, and tissue-level mechanisms that generate and pattern the taste system during embryogenesis.
Steven G. Britt, M.D., Associate Professor
Molecular genetics of eye development and color vision.
John H. Caldwell, Ph.D., Professor
Ion Channels in the nervous system.
Thomas E. Finger, Ph.D., Professor
Chemical senses (taste, smell and trigeminal); receptor cell development and differentiation; transmission and processing of primary sensory information.
Wendy Macklin, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Signaling mechanisms regulating specification, proliferation, migration and differentiation of oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system.
Diego Restrepo, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Program
Neurobiology of olfaction at the systems and cellular levels, neural implants.

Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Alberto Costa, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology.
Curt R. Freed, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Neuropharmacology and Neurotransplantation.

Pharmacology

K. Ulrich Bayer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Molecular memory in signal transduction and neuronal function.
Michael D. Browning, Ph.D., Professor
Molecular mechanisms of neuronal function with particular emphasis on protein phosphorylation.
Mark Dell'Acqua, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Postsynaptic protein kinase and phosphatase signaling complexes in synaptic plasticity.
Robert Freedman, M.D., Professor
Basic and clinical psychopharmacology.
Kim A. Heidenreich Ph.D., Professor
Molecular mechanisms of insulin and insulin-like growth factor action in the central nervous system.
Sherry S. Leonard, Ph.D., Professor
Molecular neurobiology of schizophrenia.
William A. Sather, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Structural basis of calcium channel function.
James M. Sikela, Ph.D., Professor
Evolutionary neurogenomics, genome organization and human genetic disease.
Alexander Sorkin, Ph.D., Professor
Mechanisms of endocytosis of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor.
Richard Traystman, Ph.D., Professor
Control of the cerebrovasculature and brain metabolism in focal and global cerebral ischemia, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of injury and neuroprotection following ischemia.
Nancy R. Zahniser, Ph.D., Professor
Regulation of neurotransmitter release, transporters and receptors in brain; mechanisms underlying cocaine and ethanol actions.

Pediatrics

Bruce Appel, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Development and repair of the vertebrate nervous system.
Tim Benke, M.D., Assistant Professor
Pediatrics, Neurology and Pharmacology.
Amy R Brooks-Kayal, M.D.
Brain, Spinal Cord & Nervous System.
Kimberly Bjugstad, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Neural pathway reconstruction and cell replacement in Parkinson’s and Down Syndrome.
Katheleen Gardiner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Lee Niswander, Ph.D., Professor
Genetics and molecular mechanisms of neural patterning and closure of the neural tube during vertebrate embryogenesis.
Karl H. Pfenninger, M.D., Professor
Cell and molecular biology of neurite outgrowth, the nerve growth cone, and network formation during brain development.
John Sladek
Audrey S. Yee, M.D., Assistant Professor
Cellular mechanisms of epilepsy.

Physiology

Kurt Beam, Ph.D., Professor
Biophysics of excitation-contraction coupling.
William J. Betz, Ph.D., Professor
Exocytosis, endocytosis and endosomal trafficking.
Rock Levinson, Ph.D., Professor
Sodium channel expression and function; role of glycosylation.
Catherine Proenza, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Autonomic nervous system control of cardiac pacemaking.
Angie Ribera, Ph.D., Professor
Potassium channel expression and function during neuronal development.
Nathan E. Schoppa, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Cellular and synaptic physiology of the olfactory bulb.
Celia D. Sladek, Ph.D., Professor
Neuroendocrinology. Regulation of vasopressin and oxytocin secretion.
Daniel Tollin, PhD., Assistant Professor
Sound localization in the auditory system.
Sukumar Vijayaraghavan, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor's role in normal and abnormal functions of the central nervous system.
Bruce Wallace, Ph.D., Professor
Formation of post-synaptic specializations; mechanism of action of agrin.

Psychiatry

Donald Rojas, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Neuromagnetic imaging.
Jason Tregellas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Inhibitory dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Miscellaneous

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Manisha Patel, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Oxidative stress in neurodegeneration.

Otolaryngology

Katie Rennie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Ion channels in type I and type II vestibular hair cells.

Neurosurgery

Stephen Davies, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Neurosurgery

Spinal cord regeneration.

Immunology

Anne-Laure Perraud, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Biological role of the TRPM cationic channels; Ion channel function in the immune system.

Neuroendocrinology

Margaret E. Wierman, MD, Professor

Developmental ontogeny of GnRH neurons and mechanisms of neuronal migration and gene expression

Psychiatry

Guido K.W. Frank, MD, Assistant Professor

Developmental Neurobiology of 1. Eating Disorders, 2. Impulsive Aggression, in children, adolescents and adult populations.

Neurology

Ken Tyler, M.D., Professor
Molecular and genetic basis of virus-induced cell death (apoptosis) and pathogenesis using the reovirus model.

Affiliate Members

Cell and Developmental Biology

Trevor Williams, Ph.D., Associate Professor

The role of transcription factors in mammary gland development and breast cancer.

UCH Cardiac and Vascular Center

Matthew Taylor, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Dir. Adult Clinical Genetics

Hereditary cardiomyopathies, genetic causes of intellectual dysfunction, lysosomal storage diseases.

Neurology

Lauren Frey, M.D., Assistant Professor

The development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury.

Pharmacology

Dan Linseman, Ph.D., Affiliate Faculty/Instructor

Cell biology of neuronal apoptosis.

Robert Murphy, Ph.D., Professor

biochemistry and pharmacological control of lipid mediators.

Physiology

Irina Grichtchenko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Bicarbonate ion transporters in epithelia and neurons.