| Faculty Member | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Anne E. Anderson, M.D. | Cellular mechanisms of developmental, genetic, and acquired epilepsy |
| Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Ph.D. | Molecular genetic approaches to investigate neural circuit formation and function |
| Rachel N. Arey, Ph.D. | Molecular mechanisms of learning, memory, and cognitive decline using C. elegans genetics and genomics. |
| Hugo J. Bellen, D.V.M., Ph.D. | Genetic and molecular analysis of neurodegenerative disease in Drosophila |
| Steven Boeynaems, Ph.D. | Biomolecular condensates and cellular stress responses in the etiology of neurodegenerative disease and brain cancer. |
| Shelly A. Buffington, Ph.D. | Host-microbe interactions influencing neurodevelopment, brain function, and behavior. |
| Hsiao-Tuan Chao, M.D., Ph.D. | Pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders; Integrate mouse and fruit fly models with human genomics; Inhibitory neurons; HADD syndrome; New disease gene discovery |
| Jeannie Chin, Ph.D. | Cellular and network mechanisms of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease |
| Edward C. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D. | CNQ2 channels and interacting proteins in neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Vishnu A. Cuddapah, M.D., Ph.D. | Investigating interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms, and neurodevelopmental disorders from flies to people. |
| Benjamin Deneen, Ph.D. | Development of glial cells and their role in neurological diseases |
| Herman A. Dierick, M.D. | Genetic and neurobiological mechanisms of Drosophila aggression |
| Barna Dudok, Ph.D. | Inhibitory cell types controlling neural circuit dynamics and epilepsy. In vivo multiphoton microscopy, optogenetics |
| Benjamin J. Frankfort, M.D., Ph.D. | Mechanisms of glaucoma-related injury to the retina and optic nerve in mice and humans |
| Yingbin Fu, Ph.D. | Sensory transduction, retinal degeneration, age-related diseases, gene therapy |
| Yudong Gao, Ph.D. | Mechanisms of protein interaction in neurological and psychiatric conditions. Multi-omic target identification and protein engineering for phenotypic modulation. |
| Yang He, Ph.D. | Neural regulation of systemic energy homeostasis, immune function, and body temperature homeostasis. |
| Sarah R. Heilbronner, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery. Neuroanatomy of motivational circuitry |
| Zheng Jiang, Ph.D. | Phototransduction pathways in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells |
| Thomas Kosten, M.D. | Basic and clinical research of addiction causes and treatment; immunotherapy, pharmacogenetics |
| Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, Ph.D. | Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. |
| Hyun-Kyoung Lee, Ph.D. | Developmental and regenerative mechanisms of glial cells and associated diseases |
| Justin Lee, M.D., Ph.D. | Development of genetically modified stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles as a therapy for CNS injury |
| Hongjie Li, Ph.D. | Combining multi-omics and fly genetics to study brain aging. |
| Wei Li, Ph.D. | Ligandomics profiling of cell-cell communication, including neurovascular crosstalk, to systematically delineate disease mechanisms, discover drug targets and develop novel therapies |
| Jeffrey Magee, Ph.D. | Cellular and circuit mechanisms of adaptive learning and memory through the use of a variety of electrical and optical recording methods as well as opto/chemogenetic circuit manipulations in both the hippocampus and neocortex |
| Mirjana Maletic-Savatic, M.D., Ph.D. | Adult neurogenesis and metabo-genomics in mice and humans during aging, depression, epilepsy |
| Shailaja K. Mani, Ph.D. | Molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone action in brain function |
| Kara Marshall, Ph.D. | Interoception: how the nervous system senses stimuli inside the body, in particular mechanical forces, to govern physiology and disease. |
| Xiangling Meng, Ph.D. | Genetic and molecular regulation of human brain development and neurological disorders using brain organoid and assembloid models |
| David Nelson, Ph.D. | Genetic models and mechanisms of intellectual disability and neurodegeneration, fragile X syndrome and related disorders |
| Jeffrey L. Noebels, M.D., Ph.D. | Genes regulating cortical excitability and synchronization; mouse models of epilepsy |
| James Orengo, M.D., Ph.D. | Use single gene mutation models in mice, zebrafish and human cell culture to determine the common underpinnings involved in motor neuron degeneration |
| Ronald J. Parchem, Ph.D. | Development of the brain, stem cells, and regenerative medicine |
| Paul J. Pfaffinger, Ph.D. | Assembly, structure, function and modulation of ion channels in excitable membranes |
| Matthew N. Rasband, Ph.D. | The functional organization of axons in health and disease, neuron-glia signaling |
| Russell S. Ray, Ph.D. | Mechanisms of aminergic circuit organization and function in behavior and mice |
| Jacob Robinson, Ph.D. | Engineering new technologies to manipulate and record brain activity in humans and animal models |
| Melanie Samuel, Ph.D. | Molecular mechanisms that wire circuits and reprogram connectivity |
| Joshua M. Shulman, M.D., Ph.D. | Integrative genetic analyses of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in humans and Drosophila |
| Roy V. Sillitoe, Ph.D. | Cerebellar development, dysfunction, and deep brain stimulation in motor disease |
| Francois St-Pierre, Ph.D. | Developing and deploying genetically encoded neural activity sensors |
| Zheng Sun, Ph.D. | Circadian rhythm, neuroendocrinology, epigenome, hypothalamus, autism, Alzheimer's disease, metabolism, lifestyle. |
| Matthew G. Torre, M.D. | Overlapping mechanisms contributing to chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. |
| Nicholas Tran, Ph.D. | Molecular mechanisms of retinal neurodevelopment, selective vulnerability in neurodegeneration, and axon regeneration. |
| Chunmei Wang, Ph.D. | Neuroendocrine mechanisms for metabolic adaptations in female life stages. |
| Xander Wehrens, M.D., Ph.D. | Neuronal control of cardiac function and arrhythmias |
| Theodore G. Wensel, Ph.D. | Molecular mechanisms of signaling and neurodegeneration in retina and brain |
| Samuel M. Wu, Ph.D. | Functional interactions of retinal microcircuitry |
| Mingshan Xue, Ph.D. | Cortical excitation-inhibition balance, neurodevelopmental disorders (epilepsy and autism) |
| Shinya Yamamoto, Ph.D. | Integration of Drosophila genetics and human genomics to uncover novel mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric diseases |
| Hui Zheng, Ph.D. | Autophagy-lysosomal pathway and neuron-immune interaction in Alzheimer’s disease |
| Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D. | Pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases; Rett syndrome; normal neurodevelopment |
| Elizabeth Zuniga-Sanchez, Ph.D. | Deciphering the molecular code of neuronal wiring |
Dr. Huda Zoghbi discusses her study featuring a three-pronged approach used in animal models to help subdue early events that occur in the brain long before symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are evident.
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. David Dickman's lab is studying the mechanisms in the pigeon brains that help them navigate, with the hope of using that knowledge to better understand the human brain in diseases like Alzheimer’s, where people often lose their sense of orientation.