Neuroscience
About
Research in Neuroscience at UVA explores basic questions about the workings of the brain, the neural bases for mental disorders, neurodegeneration, and other common brain dysfunction.Sensory systems, behavior, neurodegeneration and memory loss, addiction and motor systems are just a few examples of areas within neuroscience that are current topics of study in our program. It is an exciting time to be a neuroscientist. New advanced techniques allow for macro (fMRI, Optigenetics) and micro (capillary electrophoresis, electrophysiology) analysis of neuronal systems. The Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Virginia is training experimentalists in basic science and translational research, always with an eye on disease relevance. As such, we stress didactic learning for the first year and experiential laboratory-based learning in the second year and beyond.
Our diverse and interdepartmental faculty allows for dynamic, cross-disciplinary training in a variety of basic and translational neuroscience research areas that include the following: Building and Wiring the Brain; Sensory systems; Neurodegeneration and Brain Injury; Behavior and Epigenetics; Glial and Immune Cells in Health and Disease; Neurodevelopment, Neurocognitive and Neuropsychiatric Disorders; and the Neurobiology of Ion Channels.
Faculty
Abbott, Stephen
Neurobiology of the autonomic nervous system and the homeostatic control of breathing
Ai, Huiwang
Molecular Biosensors; Spatiotemporal Regulation of Biological Signaling; Protein Engineering for Imaging, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics
Ambati, Jayakrishna
Understanding the Molecular Basis of Macular Degeneration in Order to Hasten the Eradication of Blindness
Bayliss, Douglas A.
Mechanisms of neuromodulation in central neurons
Beenhakker, Mark P.
Circuit mechanisms of sleep and epilepsy
Bloom, George S.
Pathogenic mechanisms in Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
Brunjes, Peter C.
Use the olfactory system to examine general problems in the brain maturation, including the role of afferent activity on tissue development and the interplay between evolution and development.
Campbell, John
The Neurobiology of Energy Balance
Cang, Jianhua
Mouse Visual System, physiology, functional imaging, genetics, molecular, behavioral, and computational methods
Cliffe, Anna
Herpes Simplex Virus Infection of Neurons
Coan, James A.
Neuroscience of Emotional Expression and Individual Emotion-Regulation Capabilities
Condron, Barry G.
Regulation and Function Serotonergic Neurons During Development
Connelly, Jessica J.
Epigenetic mechanisms involved in complex human disease
Cope, Elise
Adult-born neurons, perineuronal nets, and microglia in hippocampal plasticity and behavior in health and disease
Coutinho-Budd, Jaeda
Neuron-glia and glial-glial interactions
Creutz, Carl E.
Calcium-dependent, membrane-binding proteins and mechanisms of exocytosis
Deppmann, Christopher
Elucidating and Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Nervous System Development
Druzgal, Thomas Jason
Multi-modal brain MRI to study different aspects of neurodegenerative diseases. Effects of mild traumatic brain injury on student athletes. Parkinson's Disease and essential tremor.
Dwyer, Noelle
Neural Development; Cell Division in Neural Stem Cells; Axon Outgrowth and Guidance
Erisir, Alev
Developmental Plasticity and Neuropathology of Synaptic Circuitries.
Ewald, Sarah
Innate immunity, chronic disease, host-parasite interactions, Toxoplasma gondii, proteomics
Eyo, Ukpong Bassey
Neuroscience
Ferris, Heather
Brain metabolism, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease
Gaultier, Alban
Exploring new therapeutics avenues to treat Multiple Sclerosis.
Goodkin, Howard P.
Status epilepticus
Grainger, Robert M.
Molecular embryology--gene regulation in cells committed to specific developmental lineages
Guler, Ali D.
Circadian entrainment for the treatment of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases
Halme, Adrian J.
Regeneration and Systemic Responses to Tissue Damage
Harris, Tajie H.
Immune response to infectious disease in the CNS
Hill, David
Development and plasticity of sensory systems
Hirsh, Jay
Molecular genetics; development and function of neurotransmitter-synthesizing neurons in Drosophila
Kapur, Jaideep
Pathophysiology of Status Epilepticus; Mechanisms and pathways of seizure spread
Kawasaki, Masashi
Neuroethology of electric fish
Keller, Raymond E.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis
Kuan, Alex
Neuroscience
Kucenas, Sarah C.
The role of glia in the development, maintenance and regeneration of the nervous system
Lampe, Kyle
Neural tissue engineering, biomaterials, drug delivery, redox regulation of stem cell fate, engineering cell-interactive microenvironments
Lee, Kevin S.
Neuronal Vulnerability: A Study of Cellular Mechanism
Legon, Wynn
Non-invasive neuromodulation
Liu, Xiaorong
Developing novel neuroprotection strategies to preserve vision in glaucoma
Long, Nicole
Neural mechanisms of human memory
Lu, Xiaowei
Wnt/PCP signaling in inner ear development Mouse models for human deafness Wnt/PCP signaling in neural tube closure
Lukens, John R.
Understanding How Immunological Pathways Contribute to Neurodegenerative, Neurodevelopmental, Mental and Behavior Disorders
Lynch, Wendy J.
Behavioral Pharmacology, Sex Differences, Animal Models of Addiction
Mahadevan, Mani S.
Molecular Mechanisms of Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy
Mandell, James W.
Identification of Novel Biomarkers for Inflammatory Myopathies
Meliza, C. Daniel
Neural Mechanisms of Pattern Learning and Recognition in the Auditory System
Morris, James P.
Social perception and cognition; Social Neuroscience; Human Neuroscience
Pani, Ariel
Investigating the cell-biological foundations of development
Parichy, David
Developmental Genetics, Evolution and Regeneration
Patel, Manoj
Understanding the cellular mechanisms by which seizures are initiated in SCN8A epileptic encephalopathy (DEE13) and temporal lobe epilepsy. My lab uses a number of experimental techniques including patch clamp electrophysiology and in vivo seizure monitor
Perez-Reyes, Edward
Exploring epilepsy circuits then preventing seizures using gene therapies. Developing drug-inducible genetic switches for insulin replacement gene therapies.
Price, Richard J.
Image Guided Drug and Gene Delivery for Neurodegeneration and Cancer; Focused Ultrasound and Immunotherapy; Arteriogenesis and Angiogenesis
Provencio, Ignacio
The Role of Melanopsin Retinal Ganglion Cells in the Photic Regulation of Mammalian Circadian Rhythms
Provencio, Javier
Innate Inflammatory Pathways Associated with Acute Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Purow, Benjamin W.
Novel therapeutic approaches to brain cancers and to other neurologic diseases
Shin, Jung-Bum
Auditory Neurobiology
Siegrist, Sarah
Regulation of neural stem cell proliferation during development and adulthood
Sontheimer, Harald
Role of Glia in Neurological Illnesses and Cancer
Stone, James
Traumatic Brain Injury
Tvrdik, Petr
Neurological Surgery
Ukhanov, Kirill Y
Pharmacology
Venton, B. Jill
Analytical Neurochemistry; Dopamine and Serotonin Neurotransmission in Drosophila; Mechanisms of rapid adenosine signaling in rodents
Williams, Cedric L.
Studies of various aspects of learning, memory, olfactory discrimination and explosive detection. We develop computer driven learning programs that produce optimal olfactory discrimination and detection learning in rodents.
Winckler, Bettina
Endosomal function and dysfunction in neurons. Development of the nervous system: cytoskeleton and membrane traffic in axon and dendrite growth.
Yates, Paul A.
Development and regulation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and blood vessels as they relate to retinal diseases.
Zeitlin, Scott O.
Mechanisms of Huntington's Disease Pathogenesis
Zhu, J. Julius
Neural Circuits in Healthy and Diseased Brains
Zong, Hui
Early detection, cancer prevention, and tumor microenvironment
Zunder, Eli
Single Cell Analysis