Email

aiba@bcm.edu

Addresses

Department of Neurology (Office)

Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza, MS NA200
Houston, TX, 77030
United States

Education

PhD from University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Professional Interests

• Spreading depolarization
• Epilepsy
• Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

Websites

Selected Publications

• Aiba I, Wehrens XH, Noebels JL.. " Leaky RyR2 channels unleash a brainstem spreading depolarization mechanism of sudden cardiac death. " Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.. 2016 Aug ;
  Pubmed PMID: 27482086.
• Bomben VC, Aiba I, Qian J, Mark MD, Herlitze S, Noebels JL.. " Isolated P/Q Calcium Channel Deletion in Layer VI Corticothalamic Neurons Generates Absence Epilepsy. " J Neurosci.. 2016 Jan ;
  Pubmed PMID: 26758833.
• Aiba I, Noebels JL.. " Spreading depolarization in the brainstem mediates sudden cardiorespiratory arrest in mouse SUDEP models. " Sci Transl Med.. 2015 Apr ;
  Pubmed PMID: 25855492.
• Aiba I, West AK, Sheline CT, Shuttleworth CW.. " Intracellular dialysis disrupts Zn2+ dynamics and enables selective detection of Zn2+ influx in brain slice preparations. " J Neurochem.. 2013 Jun ;
  Pubmed PMID: 23517525.
• Aiba I, Shuttleworth CW.. " Sustained NMDA receptor activation by spreading depolarizations can initiate excitotoxic injury in metabolically compromised neurons. " J Physiol.. 2012 Nov ;
  Pubmed PMID: 22907056.
• Aiba I, Carlson AP, Sheline CT, Shuttleworth CW.. " Synaptic release and extracellular actions of Zn2+ limit propagation of spreading depression and related events in vitro and in vivo. " J Neurophysiol.. 2012 Feb ;
  Pubmed PMID: 22131381.
• Tsai WB, Aiba I, Lee SY, Feun L, Savaraj N, Kuo MT.. " Resistance to arginine deiminase treatment in melanoma cells is associated with induced argininosuccinate synthetase expression involving c-Myc/HIF-1alpha/Sp4. " Mol Cancer Ther.. 2009 Dec ;
  Pubmed PMID: 19934275.
• Carter RE, Aiba I, Dietz RM, Sheline CT, Shuttleworth CW.. " Spreading depression and related events are significant sources of neuronal Zn2+ release and accumulation. " J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2011 Apr ;
  Pubmed PMID: 20978516.
• Durnin L, Dai Y, Aiba I, Shuttleworth CW, Yamboliev IA, Mutafova-Yambolieva VN.. " Release, neuronal effects and removal of extracellular β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (β-NAD⁺) in the rat brain. " Eur J Neurosci.. 2012 Feb ;
  Pubmed PMID: 22276961.
• Aiba I, Shuttleworth CW.. " Hypoxia limits inhibitory effects of Zn2+ on spreading depolarizations. " PLoS One. 2013 Nov ;
  Pubmed PMID: 24278106.
• Isamu Aiba, Yao Ning, Jeffrey L Noebels. " Persistent Na+ current couples spreading depolarization to seizures in Scn8a gain of function mice " Brain. 2025 Apr 3;
• Isamu Aiba, Yao Ning, Jeffrey L Noebels. " A hyperthermic seizure unleashes a surge of spreading depolarizations in Scn1a-deficient mice " JCI Insight. 2023 Aug 8;
  Pubmed PMID: 37551713.
• Yao Ning, Jeffrey L. Noebels, and Isamu Aiba. " Emx1-Cre Is Expressed in Peripheral Autonomic Ganglia That Regulate Central Cardiorespiratory Functions " eNeuro. 2022 Sep 1;
• Isamu Aiba. " Heterogeneous Mechanisms of Spreading Depolarization and Seizures. " Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies. 2024 ;
• Isamu Aiba and Jeffrey L. Noebels. " Spreading Depolarization and Seizures: End of the Beginning, or Beginning of the End? " Epilepsy Currents. 2025 Apr 13;
• Isamu Aiba and Jeffrey L. Noebels. " Kcnq2/Kv7.2 controls the threshold and bi-hemispheric symmetry of cortical spreading depolarization " Brain. 2021 Sep 9;
• Asante Hatcher, Kwanha Yu, Jochen Meyer, Isamu Aiba, Benjamin Deneen and Jeffrey L. Noebels. " Pathogenesis of peritumoral hyperexcitability in an immunocompetent CRISPR-based glioblastoma model " The Journal of Clnical Investigation. 2020 Apr 6;
• Isamu Aiba and Jeffrey L. Noebels. " Adrenergic agonist induces rhythmic firing in quiescent cardiac preganglionic neurons in nucleus ambiguous via activation of intrinsic membrane excitability " Journal of Neurophysiology. 2019 Mar 29;
• Seidel JL, Faideau M, Aiba I, Pannasch U, Escartin C, Rouach N, Bonvento G, Shuttleworth CW.. " Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) activation of astrocytes decreases spreading depolarization susceptibility and increases potassium clearance. " Glia. 2015 Jan ;
  Pubmed PMID: 25092804.
• Aiba I, Shuttleworth CW.. " Characterization of inhibitory GABA-A receptor activation during spreading depolarization in brain slice. " PLoS One. 2014 Oct ;
  Pubmed PMID: 25338191.

Show 16 more publications

Funding

Neurogenic mechanism of parasympathetic cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death
#Career Development Award

(04/01/2019 - 03/31/2022)

Grant funding from American Heart Association

Spreading Depolarization and Progression of Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy
#R01NS136214

(06/26/2025)

Grant funding from NIH NINDS

Spreading depolarization is a new pathogenic biomarker of developmental epileptic encephalopathy
#Junior Faculty Seed Awards

(07/01/2020 - 06/30/2021)

Grant funding from Baylor College of Medicine

Spreading depolarizations contribute to epilepsy comorbidities
#Junior Investigator Research Award

(07/01/2021 - 06/30/2022)

Grant funding from American Epilepsy Society

Languages

Japanese