PhD Program Faculty
Our faculty comprises 103 highly distinguished scientists who have made fundamental discoveries in all areas of neuroscience from molecules to cognition. They have international reputations for excellence in both research and teaching.
Faculty Research Interests Concise listing
The major research interests of faculty in the Program can be divided into seven research areas/approaches with considerable overlap. Every fundamental area of neuroscience is represented in our faculty. The complementary nature of their expertise and interests creates an unusually rich intellectual community.
|
Click on the name of a faculty member in the table below to visit their web site, or on the theme abbreviations in this table for relevant faculty lists. | |
|
CEL: Cellular (61) CMP: Computational (24) DEV: Developmental (40) EXC: Membrane Excitability (24) | MOL: Molecular (57) NBD: Neurobiology of Disease (58) SYS: Systems/Cognitive (52) ALL: Complete List (103) |
Katrin Andreasson, MD
Assoc. Prof, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
kandreas@stanford.edu
We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which neurons die in neurodegenerative diseases. We focus on the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway, which is a central mediator of neuronal death in models of Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and stroke. We are investigating the function of downstream prostaglandin receptor signaling pathways in mediating COX-2 dependent neuronal death. Our long-term goal is to understand the contribution of prostaglandin signaling to neuronal injury in a wide array of neurological diseases and to develop therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways in human disease.
Stephen Baccus, JD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurobiology
baccus@stanford.edu
Visual processing in neural circuits of the retina, studied using multielectrode extracellular array recording, intracellular recording, two-photon imaging, and computational modeling.
Bruce Baker, PhD
Professor, Biology
bruce.baker@stanford.edu
Sex determination, sexual behavior, dosage compensation and imaginal disc development in Drosophila melanogaster, with the goal of understanding at a molecular level how these processes are brought about.
Ben Barres, PhD
Professor, Neurobiology
barres@stanford.edu
Our lab is interested in the neuronal-glial interactions that underlie the development, function, and regeneration of the mammalian central nervous system.
Helen Blau, PhD
Professor , Microbiology and Immunology
hblau@stanford.edu
Molecular and cellular mechanisms that control growth, differentiation, and apoptosis; protein-protein interactions in signal transduction; gene therapy for cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Kwabena Boahen, PhD
Associate Professor , Bioengineering
boahen@stanford.edu
Our group has two synergistic goals: to understand how brains work, which will enable us to replace damaged neural tissue, and to build computers that work like brains, which will enable us to increase computational power a million-fold. To these ends, we model brains using an approach far more efficient than software simulation: we emulate the flow of ions directly with the flow of electrons---don't worry, on the outside, it looks just like software.
Lera Boroditsky, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology
lera@psych.stanford.edu
Language, cognition and perception; cross-linguistic differences in thought; effects of experience on cognition and perception; plasticity.
Helen Bronte-Stewart,
,
hbs@stanford.edu
Anne Brunet, PhD
Assistant Professor , Genetics
anne.brunet@stanford.edu
Our lab studies the molecular basis of aging, with an emphasis on the role of the nervous system in longevity. We use worms, fish, and mice to discover novel genes that regulate aging and to study the importance of these genes in the nervous system. We are particularly interested in the role of longevity genes in preserving the adult neural stem cell pool and in preventing the decline in cognitive behaviors during aging. Our lab also explores if specific brain regions secrete factors that control the overall aging process.
Axel Brunger, PhD
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Physiology
brunger@stanford.edu
Axel Brunger's goal is to understand the molecular mechanism of synaptic neurotransmission. He is particularly interested in the structure, function, and dynamics of key players in the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery. His lab is also working on the mechanism of action of clostridial neurotoxins that target this machinery. Other projects include the ATPases of the AAA family that are involved in protein complex disassembly and degradation. A molecular understanding of these complex protein machineries may ultimately lead to new therapeutics to treat human diseases.
Paul Buckmaster, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor, Comparative Medicine
psb@stanford.edu
Mechanisms of epilepsy; circuitry of temporal lobe structures.
Marion Buckwalter, MD, PhD
Asst Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences and Neurosurgery
marion.buckwalter@stanford.edu
Our lab focuses on how inflammatory responses after brain injury affect neurological recovery. In the United States, there are 4 million people currently living with the effects of stroke, and another 4.3 million living with the effects of traumatic brain injury. Of the people who have had a stroke, many are disabled to the degree that they cannot work, and a significant proportion are unable to walk, feed themselves, or communicate with their families the way they could prior to their stroke. Despite this very high number of people who are suffering, there is a large knowledge gap regarding the mechanisms by which neurological recovery occurs, and not a single FDA-approved therapy available to help people recover. There is reason to think that such a therapy might be obtainable – we know that some people, especially younger ones, experience significant recovery after stroke. Animal studies, almost entirely done in young animals, also demonstrate significant recovery after neurological injury. Our goal is thus to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to recovery in the young, and how they are influenced by inflammatory responses. Once we understand this, we hope to be able to develop new therapies to help people’s brains repair themselves. Current projects in the lab: TGF-beta signaling after brain injury. To understand the role of TGF-beta signaling after brain injury, we use mouse models to manipulate and image TGF-beta signaling after stroke, viral vectors to influence TGF-beta signaling in neural progenitor cells, and small molecule therapies in a time-restricted fashion. We measure the effects on functional recovery from brain injury, the cellular and molecular immune response, and cell-specific signaling pathways. The effect of small molecule neurotrophin agonists on functional recovery. In collaboration with the Longo lab, which has developed these compounds, we are testing whether small molecule compounds that mimic NGF and BDNF can be used to improve recovery and stimulate regenerative responses after brain injury. Imaging and manipulating regenerative responses after brain injury. Constructing novel mouse models to allow for real-time imaging and manipulation of neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis in mice as they recover from brain injury. Peripheral immune responses and brain edema after stroke. In collaboration with researchers at the Stanford Stroke Center we plan to evaluate serum samples from patients with stroke. Our goal is to understand the peripheral immune mechanisms that correlate with the development of brain edema, or swelling, and determine if there are ways to predict which patients may require more aggressive treatment for their strokes.
Pak Chan, PhD
Professor, Neurosurgery
phchan@stanford.edu
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell death after ischemia, trauma and neurodegeneration using transgenic and knockout strategies.
Thomas Clandinin, PhD
Associate Professor, Neurobiology
trc@stanford.edu
Genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling the development of precise patterns of neuronal connections in the central nervous system. Functional dissection of neuronal circuits controlling visual behaviors in the fruit fly.
Corinna Darian-Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor, Comparative Medicine
cdarian@stanford.edu
Structural organization and function of peripheral and central neural pathways that underlie directed manual behavior in the nonhuman primate. Capacity of these neural pathways to compensate/adapt following specific sensory manipulations.
Luis de Lecea, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
llecea@stanford.edu
We focus on the molecules and neuronal circuits controlling sleep and arousal and on the role of the hypocretins/orexins in addiction.
Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
deissero@stanford.edu
Neural stem cells, neuroengineering, adaptive plasticity, electrophysiology, two-photon imaging, animal behavior, computational modeling, neuropsychiatry, developing noninvasive technologies for focal brain stimulation.
Scott Delp, PhD
Professor, Bioengineering
delp@stanford.edu
Firdaus Dhabhar,
Associate Professor,
dhabhar@gmail.com
Although stress generally has a “bad” reputation, a short-term stress is response is nature's fundamental protective mechanism without which neither predator nor prey could survive. We are interested in identifying biological mechanisms that mediate and differentiate the recently appreciated immunoenhancing effects of short-term stress (eustress) from the well-known immunosuppressive effects of long-term stress (distress). We examine stress effects on the neuroendocrine system, and on leukocyte trafficking, innate/adaptive immunity, and cytokine gene/protein expression using models of skin immunity, surgery, and cancer.
Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD
Assistant Professor , Neurobiology
ricardo.dolmetsch@stanford.edu
We use a combination of molecular biology, microscopy, electrophysiology and stem cell biology to study the biological basis of autism. We are also interested in calcium channels and calcium signaling. Finally we are interested in developing new techniques for studying the brain.
Heidi Feldman, MD PhD
,
hfeldman@stanford.edu
Russell Fernald, PhD
Professor , Biology
rfernald@stanford.edu
Reproduction is the most powerful selective force in evolution and we focus on how important information about sex changes the nervous system. We study how social information is transduced into cellular and molecular changes using a range of techniques from behavioral observation to molecular analyses. Since we have shown that certain brain cells containing gonodotropin releasing hormone respond to changes in social status by changing size and connectivity, we are now examining the mechanisms including the role(s) of micro RNAs as well as epigenetic processes such as methylation of regulatory genes.
Robert Fisher, PhD
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
rfisher@stanford.edu
Clinical manifestations of epileptic seizures. New technology for investigating and treating epilepsy.
Craig Garner, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
garner@stanford.edu
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of CNS synaptogenesis.
Rona Giffard, PhD
Professor , Anesthesia
rgiffard@stanford.edu
Cellular and molecular basis for neuronal and astrocyte vulnerability to ischemia; roles of chaperones, inflammation and mitochondria in cell death, modeling death pathways.
William Gilly, PhD
Professor, Biology
lignje@stanford.edu
Mechanisms involved in the cellular regulation of properties, density, and spatial distribution of voltage-gated Na and K channels and of ionotropic glutamate receptors cloned from the squid nervous system and expressed in frog oocytes and insect cells.
Gary Glover, PhD
Professor, Radiology
Gary.Glover@stanford.edu
Development of novel methods for imaging of brain function using MRI
Miriam Goodman, PhD
Assistant Professor , Molecular and Cellular Physiology
mbgoodman@stanford.edu
Cellular and molecular basis of sensory mechano- and thermotransduction. We study sensation at the molecular, cellular and organismal levels, leveraging the complete wiring diagram of the C. elegans nervous system, advanced tools in classical and molecular genetics, electron microscopy, and in vivo electrophysiology.
Ian Gotlib, PhD
Professor , Psychology
ian.gotlib@stanford.edu
Neural foundations of information-processing biases in affective disorders; psychophysiology of depression; depression in children and adolescents.
Isabella Graef, PhD
Assistant Professor , Pathology
igraef@stanford.edu
Signaling and transcription in neural development.
Michael Greicius,
,
greicius@stanford.edu
Dr. Greicius' research involves the use of functional MRI in conjunction with other imaging modalities to detect and characterize neural networks in healthy adults and patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. The main research objective is to develop novel imaging biomarkers that will lead to advances in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, major depression, and schizophrenia.
Kalanit Grill-Spector, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology
kalanit@psych.stanford.edu
fMRI, computational and behavioral studies of visual perception.
James Gross, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychology
james@psych.stanford.edu
Neural and autonomic bases of emotion and emotion regulation: basic processes (emphasizing relations among behavior, physiology, and subjective experience); personality correlates; health implications, with particular emphasis on social anxiety disorder.
May Han, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
mayhan@stanford.edu
Craig Heller, PhD
Professor , Biology
hcheller@stanford.edu
Neurobiology of sleep, circadian rhythms, regulation of body temperature, mammalian hibernation, and human exercise physiology. Dr. Heller is co-director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology. The Center fosters multidisciplinary approaches and collaborations that will help us understand the neural mechanisms controlling arousal states and arousal state transitions, the function of sleep, and the neural mechanisms of circadian rhythms. Research on human exercise physiology focuses on the effects of body temperature on physical conditioning and performance.
Stefan Heller., PhD
Associate Professor, Otolaryngology
hellers@stanford.edu
Our interest covers the auditory pathway, focusing on the periphery (sensory hair cells), and stretch from molecular analyses (proteomics) to cellular experiments (hair cell physiology - often in collaboration with Anthony Ricci), to a more systems approach (i.e. evaluation of the auditory function of animals carrying modified genes).
Shaul Hestrin, PhD
Associate Professor, Comparative Medicine
shaul.hestrin@stanford.edu
The main interest of my lab is to understand how the properties of neocortical neurons and the circuits they form give rise to cortical activity and function.
Ting-Ting Huang, PhD
Assistant Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
tthuang@stanford.edu
The role of stress response and mitochondria in neurodegeneration; identify genetic modifiers that modulate responses to oxidative stress in the mitochondria.
John Huguenard, PhD
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
John.Huguenard@stanford.edu
Neurobiology of thalamocortical oscillatory activities in epilepsy and sleep. Mechanisms of hyperexcitability, neuronal hypersynchrony, and relevant antiepileptic drug actions. Development of neocortical and thalamic networks. Computational models of realistic neural networks.
Terence Ketter, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
tketter@stanford.edu
Brain imaging and pharmacological studies of emotion, mood, and temperament in healthy volunteers and persons with mood disorders.
David Kingsley, PhD
Professor, Developmental Biology
kingsley@cmgm.stanford.edu
We are using genetics and genomics to identify specific genes and mutations that underlie new morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits during vertebrate evolution. Approaches used include genome-wide linkage mapping of recent evolutionary change in threespine stickleback fish; comparative genomics in lizards, whales, chimps, and humans; and detailed functional and regulatory analysis using transgenic, knock-out, and knock-in mice.
Eric Knudsen, PhD
Professor , Neurobiology
eknudsen@stanford.edu
Systems, circuit and synaptic mechanisms of spatial attention, studied in developing and adult owls and chickens, using behavioral, systems, in vitro slice, extracellular recording, patch-clamp recording and molecular techniques.
Brian Knutson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology
knutson@psych.stanford.edu
Role of biogenic amines in modulating emotional experience. Neural substrates of incentive processing, with implications for psychiatric symptoms and decision making.
Brian Kobilka, PhD
Professor , Molecular and Cellular Physiology
kobilka@stanford.edu
G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of receptors for neurotransmitters in the human genome. We study the structure and mechanism of activation of GPCRs using a variety of biochemical and biophysical approaches including crystallography, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy.
Ron Kopito, PhD
Professor, Biology
kopito@stanford.edu
Cellular mechanisms which monitor protein biogenesis and ensure that only properly folded and assembled proteins are deployed within the cell. Genetic biochemical and cell biological approaches are used to identify the machinery involved in recognizing and destroying misfolded proteins. Molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, particular emphasis on Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease ALS and prion encephelopathies
Richard Lewis, PhD
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Physiology
rslewis@stanford.edu
Calcium signaling by ion channels and cellular organelles; store-operated channels; calcium control of gene expression.
Fei-Fei Li,
,
feifeili@stanford.edu
Research in the Vision Lab focus on two intimately connected branches of vision research: computer vision and human vision. In both fields, we are intrigued by visual functionalities that give rise to semantically meaningful interpretations of the visual world. In computer vision, we aspire to build intelligent visual algorithms that perform important visual perception tasks such as object recognition, scene categorization, integrative scene understanding, human motion recognition, etc. In human vision, our curiosity leads us to study the underlying neural mechanisms that enable the human visual system to perform high level visual tasks with amazing speed and efficiency. We use psychophysics experiments, fMRI and computational modeling methods to tackle these extremely interesting yet challenging problems.
Joyce Liao,
Assistant Professor,
yjliao@stanford.edu
Michael Lin,
,
mzlin@stanford.edu
We have developed fluorecent proteins with drug-controllable onset for visualizing new protein synthesis and are using them to study stimulus-induced local protein translation. We are currently applying this technology to understand how proteins are locally synthesized in complex cell types such as neurons, and how this process may be disrupted in human diseases caused by mutations in protein synthesis pathways. We are also developing fluorescent reporters of signaling pathways involved in synaptic growth.
Frank Longo, PhD
Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
longo@stanford.edu
Our studies are focused on elucidation of disease-related signaling mechanisms and development of novel small-molecule strategies for preventing neurodegeneration and promoting neurogenesis and neural function. Disease areas include Alzheimer's and Huntington's.
Bingwei Lu, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology
bingwei@stanford.edu
Neural stem cell behavior; mechanisms of neurodegeneration.
Liqun Luo, PhD
Professor , Biological Sciences
lluo@stanford.edu
We use molecular genetics to understand the logic of neural circuit organization and assembly in fruit flies and mice.
David Lyons,
,
dmlyons@stanford.edu
Bruce MacIver, PhD
Associate Professor, Anesthesia-Neurophysiology
maciver@stanford.edu
The action of CNS depressants in hippocampal and neocortical brain slices; whole cell patch clamp and field EEG recordings are used to compare and contrast anesthetic actions on synaptic currents and local cortical circuit function.
Sean Mackey, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Chief - Pain Management Division, Pain Management
amorrow@stanford.edu
Functional and structural neuroimaging of pain from the spinal cord to brain. Central factors contributing to individual differences in pain including cognitive, emotional and decision making. Central plasticity contributing to chronic pain. Real-time fMRI learned control of brain activity and pain.
Daniel Madison, PhD
Associate Professor , Molecular and Cellular Physiology
madison@stanford.edu
Our laboratory uses electrophysiological techniques to study the mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity in the mammalian hippocampus. One of the main focuses in the lab is in the study of synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP).
Merritt Maduke, PhD
Assistant Professor , Molecular and Cellular Physiology
maduke@stanford.edu
Molecular mechanisms of chloride movement through channels and transporters. Integration of biophysical and electrophysiological methods.
Robert Malenka, PhD
Professor , Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
malenka@stanford.edu
Long-lasting changes in synaptic strength are important for the modification of neural circuits by experience. A major goal of my laboratory is to elucidate the molecular events that trigger various forms of synaptic plasticity and the modifications in synaptic proteins that are responsible for the changes in synaptic efficacy.
James McClelland, PhD
Professor, Psychology
jlm@psych.stanford.edu
Two of the main topics of research in my laboratory are dynamics of decision making and learning. I collaborate with the Newsome lab and others to understand how dynamics at the neural level lead to decisions at the level of behavior. We are also interested in the effects of experience on behavior, and how these effects are mediated by changes within the nervous system. We use behavioral experiments and computational models to address these and other issues, and we are open to collaboration with neurophysiologists.
Samuel McClure, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology
smcclure@stanford.edu
Mechanisms of reward learning and decision-making in humans. Methods include computational modeling and fMRI.
Susan McConnell, PhD
Professor , Biology
suemcc@stanford.edu
We are interested in how individual neurons know where they should sit in the brain and with which neurons they should form specific axonal connections. We are trying to identify and characterize the progenitor cells that give rise to neuron and the processes by which young neurons locate their correct targets among hundreds of thousands of other neurons in the brain.
Vinod Menon, PhD
Associate Professor , Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
menon@stanford.edu
Theoretical and experimental systems neuroscience - dynamical basis of brain function and dysfunction; functional brain imaging of human cognition and its disruption by mental illness; timing of perceptual and cognitive processes; mathematical models of nonlinear information processing in neural systems.
Tobias Meyer, PhD
Professor, Chemical and Systems Biology
tobias.meyer@stanford.edu
Signal transduction processes that underlie synaptic plasticity. Use of fluorescent microscopy techniques to dissect the complex signaling mechanisms in dendrites that regulate channel insertion and synaptic connectivity.
Emmanuel Mignot, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
mignot@stanford.edu
Our laboratory studies sleep disorders at the molecular and neurophysiological level. Most of our work focuses on the sleep disorder narcolepsy and the neuropeptide system hypocretin/orexin.
Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD
Professor , Chemical and Systems Biology
mochly@stanford.edu
Mechanisms underlying the specificity of protein kinase C isozymes; role of protein-protein interaction in signal transduction.
Tirin Moore, PhD
Assistant Professor , Neurobiology
tirin@stanford.edu
Mechanisms of visual perception and cognition; visuomotor integration; control of movement.
William Newsome, PhD
Professor , Neurobiology
bill@monkeybiz.stanford.edu
Neural processes that mediate visual perception and visually guided behavior.
Theo Palmer, PhD
Assistant Professor , Neurosurgery
tpalmer@stanford.edu
Neural precursor cells and the production of new neurons. Local cues that regulate precursor activity. How this information is used to recruit cells for CNS repair or to interrupt precursor signaling once it has gone awry in malignant growth.
Karen Parker, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
kjparker@stanford.edu
Oxytocin and social behavior; stress and HPA axis physiology.
Josef Parvizi, MD PhD
Assistant Professor, NEUROLOGY
jparvizi@stanford.edu
My lab is involved in electrophysiological recording and stimulation studies in epilepsy patients implanted with intracranial electrodes. Our main emphasis is to use electrocorticography and simultaneous EEG/fMRI, and tractography methods to test hypotheses at the level of system neuroscience. We collect electrophysiological data from the human brain during various cognitive and emotional tasks. We also study seizure propagation in the human brain, and how the propagation of ictal discharges along specific neuroanatomical circuitries relate to the stereotyped behavior and or thoughts.
Anna Penn, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Neonatology
apenn@stanford.edu
We focus on the role of placental factors in brain development, including the influence of steroids (estrogens and progestins) and protein hormones on cerebellar and hippocampal neurogenesis and connectivity
Kathleen Poston, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
klposton@stanford.edu
David Prince, MD
Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
daprince@stanford.edu
Altered properties of neurons/synapses in models of epilepsy.
Thomas Rando, PhD
Associate Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
rando@stanford.edu
Mechanisms of cell death and cell survival in muscular dystrophies; regulation of cellular antioxidant defenses; mechanism of age-related muscle atrophy; gene therapy for muscular dystrophies.
Natalie Rasgon,
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
natalie.rasgon@stanford.edu
Jennifer Raymond, PhD
Associate Professor , Neurobiology
jenr@stanford.edu
The goal of my research is to determine the role of specific classes of neurons and synapses in shaping the computations performed by the cerebellum. To this end, we are using the latest molecular-genetic approaches for manipulating neural circuits in combination with the detailed behavioral and circuit-level analyses possible in the oculomotor system.
Lawrence Recht, MD
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
lrecht@stanford.edu
Our laboratory focuses on two interrelated projects: (1) assessment of glioma development within the framework of the multistage model of carcinogenesis through utilization of the rodent model of ENU neurocarcinogenesis; and (2) assessment of stem cell specification and pluripotency using an embryonic stem cell model system in which neural differentiation is induced.
Richard Reimer, PhD
Assistant Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
rjreimer@stanford.edu
Molecular biology and physiology of neurotransmitter release; neuropathophysiology of lysosomal storage disorders; biosensors.
Allan Reiss, MD
Professor , Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
reiss@stanford.edu
Gene-brain-behavior interactions as elucidated from the study of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions including fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, Turner syndrome, velocardiofacial syndrome, autism, preterm birth and other disorders of cognition and behavior. The lab employs comprehensive multi-modal neuroimaging techniques with identification and measurement of genetic risk factors and neurobehavioral outcome. An interdisciplinary model is emphasized.
Anthony Ricci,
Assoc. Prof, Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery
aricci@stanford.edu
Auditory hair cell mechanotransduction and synaptic transmission.
Robert Sapolsky, PhD
Professor , Biology
sapolsky@stanford.edu
How a neuron dies during aging or following various neurological insults; how such neuron death can be accelerated by stress; the design of gene therapy strategies to protect endangered neurons from neurological disease.
Mark Schnitzer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biology
mschnitz@stanford.edu
In vivo fluorescence optical imaging and electrophysiological studies of the mammalian brain towards understanding biophysical aspects of learning and memory. We are developing and applying novel imaging approaches such as multiphoton fluorescence endoscopy for examining individual neurons and dendrites, with emphasis on experiments in awake behaving animals.
Matthew Scott, PhD
Professor , Developmental Biology
mscott@stanford.edu
Genetic regulation of animal development and human disease. 1) We study Hedgehog (Hh) signaling, which controls growth of the cerebellum, and medulloblastoma, the tumors of the cerebellum that occur when Hh signaling is inadequately controlled. 2) Niemann-Pick C (NPC) disease causes Purkinje neurons of the cerebellum to die, and we are studying mechanisms of intracellular transport that underlie normal NPC functions. 3) We have recently discovered that serotonergic signaling in the fly brain is used to control insulin release and thus control of growth, and are studying the circuitry involved as well as identifying new genes required for it. 4) We are using light-activated channel proteins to study the circuitry of Drosophila neuromuscular function and development.
Carla Shatz, PhD
Professor, Biology
cshatz@stanford.edu
The major goal of research is to discover cellular and molecular mechanisms that transform early fetal and neonatal brain circuits into mature patterns of connections during critical periods of development.
Kang Shen, PhD
Assistant Professor , Biology
kangshen@stanford.edu
We are interested in understanding how synapses are formed, the final step in wiring a nervous system. In particular, the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic specify: how neurons recognize each other and how they make decisions about forming synapses between contacting neurites during development. We use molecular, genetic and cell biological tools to study this question in the nematode, C. elegans, which has a very simple nervous system containing only 302 neurons and approximately 6000 synapses. We are also interested in understanding how synapses are eliminated. During development, synapse formation is always accompanied by synapse elimination. It is the balance between these two events that eventually lead to the maturation of synaptic circuit. Very little is known about synapse elimination. We are using genetic approaches to study this. Another area of interest is how axons and dendrite polarity is established and maintain.
Krishna Shenoy, PhD
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
shenoy@stanford.edu
Neural prosthetic systems, neural basis of movement preparation and generation, population codes and sensorimotor integration.
Stephen Smith, PhD
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Physiology
sjsmith@stanford.edu
Imaging of synapse development and structural dynamics; cell signaling in neural development and plasticity.
Raymond Sobel, MD
Professor, Pathology
raysobel@stanford.edu
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune responses in the central nervous system; multiple sclerosis.
Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD
Professor , Neurosurgery
steinberg@stanford.edu
Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cerebral ischemia; development of neuroprotective and neurorepair strategies; stem cell transplantation for stroke.
Lawrence Steinman, PhD
Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
steiny@stanford.edu
Genetics basis of autoimmune neural disease. Immunotherapy. Gene and protein microarray analysis of neurological disease. The immune response in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease. The role of transglutaminase in the formation of aggregations in Huntington's Disease.
Thomas Sudhof,
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Physiology
tcs1@stanford.edu
My laboratory is interested in how presynaptic terminals are formed during synaptogenesis, how presynaptic terminals release neurotransmitters, and how presynaptic terminals degenerate in neurodegenerative disease. To address these questions, we employ diverse approaches ranging from biophysical studies to the physiological and behavioral analyses of mutant mice.
Edith Sullivan, PhD
Professor , Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
edie@stanford.edu
Brain structure-function relationships in normal aging and neuropsychiatric diseases, in particular, alcoholism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Components of cognitive, motor, and sensory processes are investigated with neuropsychological and structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques.
Patrick Suppes,
Professor (Emeritus), Philosophy
psuppes@stanford.edu
Stuart Thompson, PhD
Professor, Biology
stuartt@stanford.edu
Signal transduction mechanisms in neurons with the goal of better understanding how neurons process information. Signal cascades initiated by G-protein coupled receptors and regional specialization of function in neurons and the role that localized clusters of ion channels play in the processing of information by the cell.
Richard Tsien, PhD
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Physiology
rwtsien@stanford.edu
Molecular properties of ion channels in relation to function of nerve and muscle; calcium signaling and synaptic plasticity.
Anthony Wagner, PhD
Associate Professor , Psychology
awagner@stanford.edu
Cognitive neuroscience of memory and cognitive control; prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe function; interactions between memory systems.
Brian Wandell, PhD
Professor , Psychology
wandell@stanford.edu
Development and plasticity of signals in the human visual pathways; current emphases on reading development and cortical plasticity following retinal disease. Magnetic resonance, behavior, and computational methods.
Marius Wernig, MD
Assistant Professor, Pathology
wernig@stanford.edu
My lab is interested in epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cells into pluripotent stem (or iPS) cells. One major question in the field is to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying these dramatic epigenetic changes. In addition, the emerging iPS cell technology provides new fascinating translational applications such as patient-specific stem cell therapy or disease phenocopy through differentiation into the neural lineage. Another interest of the laboratory is to study self-renewal and differentiation in neural stem/progenitor cells and apply these findings to the tumor precursor cells of glioblastoma. This will shed some light into glioma generation and potentially lead to alternative treatment strategies of this devastating brain disease.
Jeffrey Wine, PhD
Professor , Psychology
wine@psych.stanford.edu
Regulation of ion channels by intracellular messengers and excitation-secretion coupling.
Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD
Associate Professor , Neurology and Neurological Sciences
twc@stanford.edu
Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.
Yanmin Yang, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
yyanmin@stanford.edu
Elucidate biological functions of cytoskeletal organizing proteins in neurons. Define the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the neurodegeneration in BPAG1 null mice.
David Yeomans, PhD
Associate Professor, Anesthesia
dcyeomans@stanford.edu
Pain physiology and molecular biology; herpes vector-directed genetic alteration of sensory neurons; gene therapy for pain; cell transplantation as pain therapy.
Jamie Zeitzer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
jzeitzer@stanford.edu
My research concerns examination of human and primate circadian rhythms and sleep; notably, the neural mechanisms that underlie wakefulness and circadian photoreception. I am also involved in collaborative efforts in examining the role of sleep disruption in medical pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, and breast cancer.
SINTN Intranet Login