Faculty

Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., Center Director

Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Biomedical Engineering

Research Focus: The basic biology of glial cells in the CNS and the role of astrocytes in several neurological diseases, including stroke, spinal cord injury, epilepsy, tremor, and ALS. Research is aimed at defining new strategies for the treatment of neurological diseases that target astrocytic dysfunction.

Steve Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Center Director

Edward A. and Alma Vollertsen Rykenboer Chair in Neurophysiology
Department of Neurology
Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Research Focus:
Identify the expression patterns of the major categories of stem and progenitor cells of the adult human brain and to use that information to define the signaling pathways that distinguish one progenitor from another, as well as those that distinguish brain tumor stem and progenitor cells from their normal counterparts.

Romane Auvergne, Ph.D.

Instructor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Auvergne studies the genes and signaling pathways dysregulated in glial tumor stem and progenitor cells, with an emphasis on defining what differentiates these cells from the normal progenitors from which they derive. Her goal is to develop pathway-specific, tumor precursor -targeted therapies in glioma.

Lane K. Bekar, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Bekar's work uses electrophysiological, in vivo multiphoton and optical imaging methods to investigate non-neuronal cell roles in the varied effects of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine neuromodulatory network.

Abdellatif Benraiss, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Benraiss’ work focuses on the use of gene therapeutic strategies to induce and regulate neurogenesis from endogenous neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain, with a particular emphasis on developing this as a therapeutic strategy in Huntington's disease.

Xiaoning Han, M.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Han’s research focuses on the study of human astrocyte development and physiological function in chimeric mouse brain.

Nanhong Lou, M.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Lou’s research focuses on the role of gliosis and glial cell signaling in stroke by using in vivo multiphoton imaging and electrophysiological methods. His goal is to develop new approaches for stroke treatment.

Weiguo Peng , M.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Peng’s research focuses on spinal cord and spinal nerve injury; more specifically the secondary injury after spinal cord trauma and how to improve the recovery of spinal cord injury.

Takahiro Takano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Takano’s work focuses on the mechanism of cerebral blood flow control mediated by astrocytes; mechanism of progression of stroke-induced injury and spinal cord injury, and development of potential therapeutic approach; and mechanism of cortical spreading depression.

Kim Tieu , Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

The primary interest of Dr. Tieu’s lab is to study the mechanisms of neurodegeneration induced by genetic mutations, environmental toxicants and gene-environment interactions in Parkinson's disease. The ultimate goal is to utilize this mechanistic knowledge to develop neuroprotective therapies for Parkinson's disease. To this end, the experimental approach is to use both genetic and toxicant-induced models of Parkinson's disease.

Fushun Wang, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus: Dr. Wang's research focuses on astrocytic regulation of extracellular potassium and its effect on the activities of neurons.

Su Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Wang studies the differentiation of human striatal neural progenitor cells into medium spiny neurons, and the additional changes in their gene expression that accompany their expression of mutant Huntington protein. His goal is to identify targets for intervention in Huntington’s Disease.

Working together with Dr. Windrem, Dr. Wang also studies the oligodendrocytic differentiation of human glial progenitor cells, as derived from pluripotential stem cells, for the purpose of establishing iPS and ES cell-based sources of oligodendrocyte progenitors for cell therapy.

Martha S. Windrem, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor - Department of Neurology

Research Focus:

Martha Windrem studies the use of glial progenitor cells for treating disorders of myelin, in both pediatric and adult animal models of myelin disease. She also studies the biology of human astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in vivo, in chimeric brain models that permit the assessment of human cells in vivo, in rodent models of neurological disease

Jim Xu

Senior Technical Associate

Research Focus: Jim's research focuses on using in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological, multiphoton, oxygen sensor and potassium sensor methods to investigate the physiological functions of astrocytes in the central nervous system.