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Research Faculty—Neuroscience and Physiology

Neuroscience and Physiology

  • Harish Babu, MD/PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Human Neurophysiology research lab 
     
    Our goal is to understand how the human brain functions at a single neuron level and how this translates to higher cognitive behaviors. We are studying this by recording the activity of single neurons in awake human subjects engaged in various behavioral tasks. We use a combination of intracranial EEG, in vivo single-neuron electrophysiology, behavioral studies and computational neuroscience approaches to gain insight into the mechanisms that give rise to complex human behaviors such as learning and memory, attention, and decision making. Using this information, we hope to develop techniques for diagnosing some of the most devastating neurological diseases and treat them by designing future Brain-Machine interfaces devices.

  • Marie Bechler, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Mechanisms that drive central nervous system myelin sheath formation, and how myelin contributes to CNS function in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disease 

  • Karen Boschen, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Developmental neurobiology

    Molecular mechanisms of prenatal alcohol exposure

    Genetics and epigenetics in prenatal drug sensitivity

    Mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders

     

  • Tinatin Chabrashvili, MD, PhD
    Professor
  • Brian Howell, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    The signal transduction events that regulate the functional organization of neurons in the brain, and the phenotypes caused by defects in the genes that encode these signaling molecules.

  • Huaiyu Hu, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    Mechanisms of brain malformations and retinal degeneration.  

  • Russell Matthews, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Role of glycoproteins in oncogenesis and brain development

  • Frank Middleton, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    • Genetic, epigenetic, and neuroanatomical basis of neurological and psychiatric disorders
    • Basal ganglia and cerebellar circuitry in normal and disease states
    • Neural-immune and gut-brain interactions
    • Machine learning approaches for biomarker discovery
    • Next generation sequencing for multiomic data analysis (genome, transcriptome, microbiome, methylome) 

  • Eric Olson, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Cellular and molecular mechanisms of cerebral cortex development.

    Lissencephaly / neuronal migration disorders; Dendritogenesis and early cortical wiring; Reelin-Dab1 signaling; Adaptor proteins; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome;  Intellectual disability

  • Francesca Pignoni, PhD
    Professor and Chair
    Research Interests:

    Neurogenesis; Retinal Progenitor Cells Specification and Proliferation; Genetic Control of Stem Cell Identity and Maintenance; Disease Genes Analysis in Drosophila

  • Mary Lou Vallano, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    Neuronal survival and development.

  • Mariano Viapiano, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Brain cancer therapies; tumor microenvironment; tumor invasion; extracellular matrix; nano-therapeutics; immunotherapies

  • Cynthia Weickert, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    I research the Neurobiology of Mental Illness with a focus on Schizophrenia. My research also involves projects on Primate Neurogenesis, Neuroinflammation, and Molecular Human Brain Development.

  • Thomas Weickert, PhD
    Sr. Research Scientist
    Research Interests:

    Our Clinical Research Laboratory uses molecular neurobiological findings to guide our research using brain stimulation techniques and the novel application of existing medications as add-on therapy to antipsychotics to improve thinking ability and reduce symptom severity in people with schizophrenia.

  • Ma-Li Wong, MD, PhD
    Distinguished Professor
    Research Interests:

    The long-term goals of Dr. Wong's research are to develop a translational research program that spans the bench and the clinic to understand the molecular, cellular and circuit bases of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly those comorbid with metabolic disorders. Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic consequences of obesity are associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety and dementia. The ongoing focus on Dr. Wong's lab include: Characterization of novel biomarkers in major depression and the role of specific genes or pathways in depression, including the inflammasome signaling, epigenetic markers, alternative splicing, and the gut microbiome.

    We have 4 current projects: 

    1) To determine the specific role(s) of PHF21B (plant homeodomain finger protein 21B) in neuronal function relevant to social recognition impairment; this is relevant because social cognitive impairments are a central feature of several neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism spectrum and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) conditions, and also occur following acute brain damage after traumatic brain injury and stroke.

    2) A innovative research line focused on investigating the interface between neuroinflammation and serotonin signaling in chronic stress.

    3) A line of research focusing on the role of pre-mRNA splicing in the pathophysiology of chronic stress.

    4) A line of research focused on the role of alternative splicing in the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aging.

  • Sijun Zhu, MD, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Genetic mechanisms of Drosophila neural stem cell specification and sub-cellular specific targeting of dendrites.

Physiology

  • David Auerbach, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Cellular, animal, and clinical approaches to investigate the susceptibility and mechanisms for electrical disturbances in both the brain (seizures) and heart (arrhythmias.)

    CURE Epilepsy Foundation: The Cameron Boyce Foundation and CURE Epilepsy Partner to Fund New SUDEP Research (1/2022)

    ABC News (Washington, DC): Victor and Libby Boyce raise epilepsy awareness in honor of late son Cameron (1/2022)

    Upstate News: Upstate Professor Auerbach receives International CURE Epilepsy award (11/2021)

    Upstate Health Link on Air and Upstate News: Scientist hopes study of electrical disturbances in the heart and brain could lead to new therapies (7/2020)

    Pediheart Podcast # 5: Antiseizure and AntiDepressants in LQTS (2/23/18)

    Eureka Alert: The heart-brain connection: The link between LQTS and seizures (7/29/16)

  • Alaji Bah, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Elucidate the structure, dynamics and functions of intrinsically disordered proteins and protein regions (IDPs/IDRs) and their biological regulation by Post-translational modifications.

  • Wenyi Feng, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Chromosomal DNA replication origins (location, timing and regulation), replication fork integrity and checkpoint regulation, genomic instability and chromosome fragility in both the yeast and human genome

  • Jason Horton, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Skeletal development, maturation and maintenance;  Mesenchymal stem cell biology;  Radiobiology of skeletal tissues; Radiosensitization of pediatric musculoskeletal sarcoma.

  • Huaiyu Hu, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    Mechanisms of brain malformations and retinal degeneration.  

  • Bruce Knutson, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    RNA polymerase I transcription (structure, assembly, regulation), nucleolar biology, macromolecular architecture, crosslinking, proteomics, bioinformatics, modeling, molecular genetics, biochemistry, model systems

  • Leszek Kotula, MD/PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Cancer biology, cell signaling, the role of actin cytoskeleton in tumor progression, mouse models of cancer

  • Mira Krendel, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    Physiological functions of myosin motors and their roles in diabetic kidney disease and cancer

  • Jennifer Moffat, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Varicella zoster pathogenesis.

  • Mehdi Mollapour, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    Role of molecular chaperone Hsp90 in cancers

    Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Breast Cancer

    Tuberous Sclerosis Complex syndrome (TSC)

    Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD)

     

  • Francesca Pignoni, PhD
    Professor and Chair
    Research Interests:

    Neurogenesis; Retinal Progenitor Cells Specification and Proliferation; Genetic Control of Stem Cell Identity and Maintenance; Disease Genes Analysis in Drosophila

  • Saravanan Thangamani, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    1. Effect of co-infection on the clinical outcome of Lyme disease and Powassan encephalitis.
    2. Impact of ecological changes on geographic expansion of Powassan virus and other tick borne diseases in Upstate New York.
    3. Tick and tick borne diseases surveillance in Upstate New York.
    4. Tick determinants of Powassan virus transmission.
    5. Arthropod-virus-host interface: Nidus of arbovirus transmission. 
    6. The effect of mosquito salivary factors on Chikungunya and Zika virus infection and dissemination.
    7. Development of tick transmission model for Heartland virus pathogenesis.
    8. Ecology of Infectious Diseases

  • Andrea Viczian, PhD
    Associate Professor
    Research Interests:

    Mammalian retinal stem cells formation; molecular mechanism of retinal cell fate decisions; vascular development in the CNS; using cell replacement therapy to heal the blinded eye.

  • Cynthia Weickert, PhD
    Professor
    Research Interests:

    I research the Neurobiology of Mental Illness with a focus on Schizophrenia. My research also involves projects on Primate Neurogenesis, Neuroinflammation, and Molecular Human Brain Development.

  • Mark Woodford, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Research Interests:

    Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are a subset of molecular chaperones that function in all subcellular compartments both constitutively and in response to stress. The Hsp90 chaperone TRAP1 is primarily localized to mitochondria and controls both cellular metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial apoptosis. TRAP1 upregulation facilitates growth and progression of many cancers by promoting glycolytic metabolism and antagonizing the mitochondrial permeability transition that precedes cell death. TRAP1 attenuation or inhibition induces apoptosis in cellular models of cancer, identifying TRAP1 as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

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