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
Ambati, Jayakrishna
Understanding the Molecular Basis of Macular Degeneration in Order to Hasten the Eradication of Blindness
Bajikar, Sameer Subhash
Systems biology approaches to study gene dosage in neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders
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.
Cafiso, David S.
Molecular Mechanisms for Membrane Transport and Cell Signaling
Campbell, John
The Neurobiology of Energy Balance
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
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.
Dudley, Andrew
Tumor microenvironment and mechanisms of tumor neovascularization
Dwyer, Noelle
Neural Development; Cell Division in Neural Stem Cells; Axon Outgrowth and Guidance
Erisir, Alev
Developmental Plasticity and Neuropathology of Synaptic Circuitries.
Eyo, Ukpong Bassey
Neuroscience
Ferris, Heather
Brain metabolism, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease
Flowers, Sarah
Impact of APOE and lipid metabolism on cell function in Alzheimer's disease.
Gaultier, Alban
Exploring new therapeutics avenues to treat Multiple Sclerosis.
Gelfand, Bradley
Blinding disease age-related macular degeneration, utilizing the tools of immunology, molecular biology, and engineering.
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
Jiang, Lulu
The Pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other dementia-related disorders.
Kapur, Jaideep
Seizures, neuronal excitability and plasticity
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
Laurie, Gordon W.
Restoration of Homeostasis in Disease
Lee, Kevin S.
Neuronal Vulnerability: A Study of Cellular Mechanism
Liu, Xiaorong
Developing novel neuroprotection strategies to preserve vision in glaucoma
Lu, Tsai-Yi
Neuroscience
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
Lunardi, Nadia
Anesthesiology
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
Martens, Jeffrey
Pharmacology
Meliza, C. Daniel
Neural Mechanisms of Pattern Learning and Recognition in the Auditory System
Nieh, Edward Horng-An
Understanding the neural code underlying motivated behaviors like feeding, drinking, and social interaction, with a focus on how malfunction in associated brain areas are involved in diseases like addiction and eating disorders
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.
Petri, William A.
Immune mechanisms of defense against COVID-19 and enteric (diarrheal) infections
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
Qi, Ling
Delineate the physiological importance and structure-function relationship of ER-associated degradation in humans.
Ribic, Adema
Assembly and Plasticity of Neural Circuits
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
Spiliotis, Elias T
Spatial Cell Biology. Neuronal Morphogenesis and Disease. Cancer Migration and Invasion.
Stone, James
Traumatic Brain Injury
Venton, B. Jill
Analytical Neurochemistry; Dopamine and Serotonin Neurotransmission in Drosophila; Mechanisms of rapid adenosine signaling in rodents
Winckler, Bettina
Endosomal function and dysfunction in neurons. Development of the nervous system: cytoskeleton and membrane traffic in axon and dendrite growth.
Wythe, Joshua D
Cardiovascular Development and Cerebrovascular Pathologies
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
Zunder, Eli
Single Cell Analysis