PiN student alumni

Month & Year

Siddharth Paliwal

"Statistical Models of Metastability in Large Neural Populations"

Advisor:  Braden A.W. Brinkman

Jacqueline F. Martin

"Dissecting the Roles of MeCP2 and FAM29B in the Cell-Type-Specific Vulnerability for Parkinson's Disease"

Advisor:  Markus Riessland

Shreevidya Korada

"LINE1 Replicaiton is Associated with Cell Death and Motor Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of TDP43 Neurodegeneration"

Advisors: Roger Sher & Joshua Dubnau

Alexander Baez

"Striatal Circuit and Cholinergic Interneuron Dysregulations in the SAPAP3-deletion Mouse Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:  Sialing, Development and Therapeutic Targets"

Advisor: Joshua Plotkin

Yuejiao (Camelia) Zheng

"Gustatory Deficits in a Mouse Model of Frontotemporal Dementia"

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Isabel Hubbard

"Glial C9orf72 Repeat Expression Produces Cell-intrinsic and Non-Cell Autonomous Toxicity in Drosophila"

Advisor: Joshua Dubnau

John Chen

"Sensorimotor Circuits in Taste-guided Decision Making"

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Jonathan Plessis-Belair

"Nuclear Import Defects in an NEMF Mouse Model of Neurodegeneration"

Advisor: Roger Sher

Priscilla Yevoo

"Neurosteroid-mediated Tonic Inhibition in the Mouse Gustatory Cortex and Taste-guided Behaviors"

Advisor: Arianna Maffei

Zachary Hobel

"The Role of the Basolateral Amygdala to Dorsolateral Striatum Circuit in Compulsive Motor Behaviors"

Advisor: Joshua Plotkin

Sheed Itaman

"Analysis of Adult Neural Stem Cell Division Dynamics”

Advisor: Grigori Enikolopov 

Joshua Kogan

"Neural Coding of Taste and Taste-guided Decisions in the Mouse Gustatory Cortex”

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Thomas Kim

 "Neurogenesis and blood flow dynamics in Alzheimer's disease mice.”

Advisor: Shaoyu Ge 

Tianshu Li

"Neural Mechanisms for Strategy-dependent Decision-making in the Prefrontal Cortex”

Advisor: Giancarlo LaCamera

Jeffrey M Malgady

"Adaptations in Cholinergic Signaling in a SAPAP3 Null Mouse Model of Compulsive Motor Behaviors"

Advisor: Joshua Plotkin

Liam Lang

“Metastable Cortical Dynamics During Taste-based Decision-making”

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Alan Guo

"Extracellular Factors Acting on Localized Intrinsic Determinants Promote
Dendrite Development During Embryonic Brain Development"

Advisor: Maya Shelly

Piotr Sokol

"Geometry of Learning and Representation in Neural Networks”

Advisor: Il Memming Park

Amalia Napoli

"NMDA Receptors in Neurogenesis and Neural Crest Development:  Insights into Neurodevelopmental Disorders”

Advisor: Howard Sirotkin

Katherine Denney

"Molecular Markers of Sex Divergence in the Rodent Brain”

Advisor: Jessica Tollkuhn

Andrea Arreguin

"Abnormal Oligodendrogenesis and Myelination in Mouse Models of Muscular Dystrophy”

Advisor: Holly Colognato

Tong Liang

"Statistical Inference and Mathematical Modeling of Nonlinear Behavior in Stochastic Biological Systems"

Advisors: Braden Brinkman & Ken Dill

Josiah Zoodsma

"Zebrafish Models to Study NMDA Receptors in Early Nervous System Development and Disease"

Advisor(s): Howard Sirotkin & Lonnie Wollmuth

Allen Chen

"Striatal dopamine signaling in auditory discrimination and learning"

Advisor: Shaoyu Ge

Kathryn Hill

"Use of Fully Quantitative PET to Relate Biology to Behavior"

Advisor: Ramin Parsey

Deborah Rupert

"Auditory Cortex Inhibitory Interneurons and Their Plasticity in the Context of Methyl CpG Ginding Protein 2 Mutation"

Advisor: Stephen Shea

Lillian Talbot

"Discovery and Validation of Cerebrospinal Fluid RNA Biomarkers of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis"

Advisor: Joshua Dubnau

Meagan Conner

"Exploring Modulatory Roles for Biological Sex and Sex Hormones in Episodic Memory in Health and Parkinson's Disease"

Advisor: Mary Kritzer

William Galbavy

"Pyramidal Tract Neuro Identity and Function in Sensorimotor Circuits"

Advisor: Josh Huang

Sarah Krupp

"TDP-43 pathology in Drosophila induces glial cell-type-specific toxicity that can be ameliorated by knock-down of SF2/SRSF1"

Advisor: Joshua Dubnau

Ricardo Raudales

"Brain-wide distribution and Synaptic Input Pattern of Axo-Axonic Cells in the Mouse"

Advisor: Josh Huang

Nicholas Gallo

"Shedding Light on the Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Governing Chandelier Cell Morphology and Connectivity"

Advisor: Linda Van Aelst

Kelvin Chan

"Mechanism of Lupus Autoantibodies on NMDA Receptor Specificity and Function"

Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

Richard Keegan

"Intercellular Viral Spread of Drosophila Gypsy"

Advisor: Joshua Dubnau

Rachel Kery

"The Secret Puppet Master: Unraveling the Anterograde Outputs of the Zona Incerta"

Advisor: Shaoyu Ge

Olivia Swanson

"Primary Motor Cortex Circuitry in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease"

Advisor: Arianna Maffei

Ke Chen

"Sensory-Motor Processes Associated with Tasting"

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Mala Ananth

"Functional Significance of Cortical Cholinergic Circuits
in Cognitive Decline in Mouse and Human"

Advisor(s): Lorna Role and Ramin Parsey

Camillia Monestime

"Regulation of Zebrafish Neural Development by CoRest1"

Advisor: Howard Sirotkin

Alice Jone

"Neuregulin 1 nuclear signaling is important for postnatal hippocampal neurogenesis and neuronal development"

Advisor: David Talmage

Prithviraj 'Raj' Rajebhosale

"Cholinergic Modulation of Learned and Innate Threat Processing"

Advisor: David Talmage

Rafael Camilo Ferrer Fierro

"Maturation and regulation of glutamatergic synapses onto PV interneurons during the visual critical period"

Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

Shaohua Wang

"Cholinergic modulation in the ventral subiculum"

Advisor: Lorna Role

Ashleigh Lussenden

"The Role  of CRD Neuregulin 1 in Cortical Neurite Development"

Advisor: David Talmage

Shannon Loncar

"Type lll Neuregulin 1 potentiates TrkA signaling in sensory neurons through activation of src family kinases."

Advisor: David Talmage

Jesse Levine

"Orderly Production and Deployment of Projection Neuron Types in the Cerebral Cortex"

Advisor: Z. Josh Huang

Sneha Rao

"Dendritic Establishment in Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons: Role of Somatic Golgi Apparatus Positioning"

Advisor: Maya Shelly

Rajapillai L I Pillai

"The Role of Serotonin 1A Receptor in Mood Disorders."

Advisor: Ramin Parsey, MD

December 2017

Nicholas U. Schwartz

"Role and Regulation of Sphingolipids in Neuropathy"

Advisor: Lina Obeid, MD

August 2017

Lyl Tomlinson

"The Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Oligodendroglia and Myelin
in Developing and Cuprizone Treated Mice"

Advisor: Holly Colognato

August 2017

Gulce ('Naz') Dikecligil

"Layer and cell type specific functional properties of gustatory cortex neurons"

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

May 2017

Elizabeth Ballinger

"Phenotypical effects of MeCP2 deletion from Cholinergic Neurons on the recognition memory circuit"

Advisor: Lorna Role

May 2017

Melissa Haley

"Synaptic Organization and Plasticity of basolateral amygdala projections to rat primary gustatory cortex"

Advisors: Arianna Maffei & Alfredo Fontanini

May 2017

Luisa LeDonne

"Temporal stimulous identification by reinforcement learning in populations of spiking neurons"

Advisor: Giancarlo LaCamera

May 2017

 Nadia McMillan

"ADAM 10 Regulates Neural Stem Cell Properties via a JAM-C/Rap1 Axis"

Advisor: Adan Aguirre

May 2017

Eric Szelenyi

"Imprinted Effects in the Brain: From the X Chromosome to Single Autosomal Loci"

Advisor: Dr. Pavel Osten

December 2016

Ariel Negron

"The Role of PTEN Signaling in the Function and Development of the Sexually Dimorphic Kisspeptin System"

Advisor: Dr. Maricedes Acosta-Martinez

December 2016

Patricia Enmore

"Neuronal Activation with Gain Modification of Trigeminal Blink Reflex"

Advisor: Leslie 'Craig' Evinger

August 2016

Quan "Alfred" Gan

"AMPA Receptor Tetramerization: Structural Mechanism and Modulation by Auxiliary Subunits"

Advisor: Lonnie P. Wollmuth

May 2016

Sean Kelly

"Genetic Fate Mapping of GABAergic Neuronal Circuits in Cerebral Cortex and Striatum"

Advisor: Z. Josh Huang

December 2015

Alexandra D'Agostino

"Age Differences in Loneliness: Neural Correlates, Neurogenetics and Functional Connectivity"

Advisor: Turhan Canli

August 2015

Haixin Liu

"Gustatory Thalamocortical Pathway of Alert Rats"

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

Jason Tucciarone

"Genetic dissection of cortical circuits: A prefrontal chandelier cell module and beyond"

Advisor: Z. Josh Huang

May 2015

Robert Bronstein

"A Role for HMGB2 in Mammalian Neurogenesis and Stroke"

Advisor: Stella Tsirka

December 2014

Shao-Kuei Huang

"Alternate pore isoforms of a mechanosensory ion channel in Drosophila"

Advisor: Maurice Kernan

Michelle Kloc

"Thalamocortical Input to Primary Visual Cortex"

Advisor: Arianna Maffei

Chunsu Xu

"The Role of NF1 in Drosophila Appetitive Long Term Memory"

Advisor: Yi Zhong

August 2014

Matthew Gardner

Advisor: Alfredo Fontanini

James Lederman

"Cholinergic modulation and integration of excitatory inputs to basolateral amygdala"

Advisor: Lorna Role

Mallory Locklear

"Assessment of gonadal hormone effects on the glutamatergic regulation of prefrontal cortical dopamine levels and executive cognitive function in rats"

Advisor: Mary Kritzer

Freyja McClenahan

"Dystroglycan is a Novel Regulator of Stem Cell Niche Structure and Function in the Developing Postnatal Subventricular Zone"

Advisor: Holly Colognato

May 2014

Trevor Griffen

"Plasticity of Cortical Circuit Activation within the Monocular Region of Primary Visual Cortex of the Rat"

Advisor: Arianna Maffei

Tanvir Kahn

"Retrograde NGF Signaling in Pain"

Advisor: Simon Halegoua

Rashek Kazi

"The Mechanisms of NMDA Receptor Activation"

Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

December 2013

Jiook Cha

"Neural Underpinnings of Anxiety: Multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Approach"

Advisor: Lilianne Mujica-Parodi

Kyle Horn

"Exploring the Role of Serotonin on Hypoglossal Motoneuron Excitability and Plasticity

Through Postnatal Development Via Mathematical Models"

Advisor: Irene C. Solomon

Justin Sinnamon

"Identification and characterization of β-actin mRNA trafficking factors in the nervous system"

Advisor: Kevin Czaplinski

August 2013

Justin Rodriguez

"β-catenin Dependent Signaling Regulates the Glial Reaction to Injury"

Advisor: Joel Levine

May 2013 

Zhen Gao
"Modulation of EAE outcomes by nicotine and cigarette smoke condensate"
Advisor: Stella Tsirka 

Jessica Susan Helm
"Interneuron Subgroups Identified in the Mouse Visual Cortex";
Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

Qinghong Yan
“Evolution of the Cardiac Electrophysiological System and Regulation of Ion Channel Gene Expression”
Advisor: David McKinnon

Erin Rasco

Advisor: Joel Levine

Catherine Lourdes Salussolia
"Molecular Mechanisms of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptor Assembly"
Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

Seong Il Lee
"The functions of Atypical PKC and the PAR Complex in Axon Growth Inhibition"
Advisor: Joel Levine

Igor Feinstein
"Integrated Biobehavioral Analysis of Sex Differences in a Rat Model of Schizophrenia"
Advisor: Mary Kritzer

Matthew Samuel Lazarus
"Funcional Maturation of Cortical GABAergic Interneurons"
Advisor: Z Josh Huang

Yu Fu
"The Role of GABA Signaling in Activity-Dependent Development in Inhibitory Synapses"
Advisor: Z Josh Huang

Lehab N Talukder
"Coupling Ligand Binding ot Ion Channel Gating in NMDA Receptors"
Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

George John Zanazzi
"Targeting and Roles of Complexins in Zebrafish Ribbon-Containing Neurons"
Advisor: Gary Matthews

Noreen Bukhari
“Tissue Plasminogen Activator & Plasminogen System in Chondroitinase-mediated Axonal Plasticity”
Advisor: Stella Tsirka

Yang Yang
“Behavioral Relevance of Fine Timing in Different Cortical Areas”
Advisor: Anthony Zador

Teresa Aubele
"Hormone Influence on the Mesocortical Dopaminergic System: An Integrated Behavioral, Anatomical and In Vivo Physiological Characterization in Adult Male Rats"
Advisor: Mary Kritzer

Keith Gates
"A role for the transcriptional repressor REST in patterning the zebrafish neural tube"
Advisor: Howard Sirotkin

Jane Lee-Osbourne
"An In vivo Characterization of Sox2+ Neural Progenitor Cells"
Advisor: Hollis Cline

Martin Prieto
"Gating and Block Mechanisms in AMPA Receptors"
Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth

Hsueh-Cheng Chiang
“Drosophila Model of Alzheimer’s Disease”
Advisor: Yi Zhong

Lisamarie LoGiudice
“Synaptic Vesicle Dynamics at Retinal Ribbon Synapses”
Advisor: Gary Matthews

Polyxeni Philippidou
“A Specialized Endosomal Population Mediates Trk, But Not EGFR, Retrograde Signaling”
Advisor: Simon Halegoua

Monicca Shanthanelson
“NMDA Receptors and Synaptic Plasticity in Lumbar Motoneurons of Neonatal Rats”
Advisor: Lorne Mendell

Muzhou Wu
“The Role of Nitric Oxide and Tuftsin During Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE)”
Advisor: Stella Tsirka

Lung-Hao Tai
"Neural Mechanisms of Selective Auditory Attention in Rats"
Advisor: Anthony Zador

Eugene Lee
"The roles of the IFT and BBS proteins in Drosophila mechanosensory and chemosensory cilia"
Advisor: Maurice Kernan

Meng Wang
"Synapse formation and neuromuscular transmission in a zebrafish choline acetyltransferase mutant"
Advisor: Paul Brehm

Sachin Ranade
"Response Profiles of Neurons of the Rat Serotonergic Dorsal Raphe Nucleus During Goal Directed Behavior"
Advisor: Zachary Mainen

Hatim Zariwala
"Temporal Bounds on Olfactory Discrimination Based Decisions in Rats"
Advisor: Zachary Mainen

Stefanie Otto
"Genome-Wide Analysis of the Transcriptional Repressor REST "
Advisor:  Gail Mandel, Ph.D.

Andrew Tan
"Overcoming the Glial Scar After Spinal Cord Injury "
Advisor:  Joel Levine, Ph.D.

Sarah Zimov
"Novel Observations on Ion Channel Immunolocalization in the Goldfish Retina"
Advisor: Stephen Yazulla, Ph.D.

Helen Hsieh
“Mechanisms Underlying Aβ-Induced Synaptic Depression”
Advisor: Roberto Malinow, Ph.D.

Victor Luna
“Neuromuscular transmission and electrical coupling in zebrafish skeletal muscle”
Advisor: Paul Brehm, Ph.D.

Nicole Barbarich-Marsteller
“Neurochemical and Behavioral Alterations in Reward”
Advisor: Stephen L. Dewey, Ph.D.

Fang-Ping Chen
“Cerebellar Modulation of Trigeminal Reflex Blinks”
Advisor: Craig Evinger, Ph.D.

Louise Muscat
"Functional analysis of the role of circadian components in the regulation of hamster circadian system responsive to light and integrative capacity"
Advisor: Lawrence Morin, Ph.D.

Kendall Van Keuren Jensen
"Homer Modulates Developing Dendritic Arbor Morphology and Synaptic Plasticity in Xenopus laevis Optic Tectal Neurons"
Advisor: Hollis Cline, Ph.D.

Audra Van Wart
"Isoform-Specific Targeting of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in the Retina"
Advisor: Gary G. Matthews, Ph.D.

Bidisha Chattopadhyaya
"Experience and Activity Dependent Formation of Perisomatic GABAergic Synapses by Basket Interneurons in Rodent Visual Cortex"
Advisor: Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D.

Michelle Gleason
"Motility Dysfunction in Accordion Zebrafish"
Advisor: Gail Mandel, Ph.D.

Gregorio Valdez
"Macroendocytosis Underlies Retrograde Axonal Signaling of Trk Receptors"
Advisor: Simon Halegoua, Ph.D.

Junryo Watanabe
"Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Dynamics of Gluta-Matergic Synapses"
Advisor: Lonnie Wollmuth, Ph.D.

Dimple Bhatt
"Identification, Disruption and Repair of Spinal Circuitry in the Zebrafish"
Advisor: Joseph Fetcho, Ph.D.

Iris Kassem
"Neural Mechanisms of Hemifacial Spasm"
Advisor: Craig Evinger, Ph.D.

Wynne K. Schiffer
"Imaging Neurochemical Plasticity Following Pharmacologic or Genetic Receptor Manipulation"
Advisor: Stephen L. Dewey, Ph.D.

Lela Creutz
"Estrogen and Androgen Receptors in Mesostriatal and Mesolimbic Dopamine Pathways"
Advisor: Mary Kritzer, Ph.D.

Iva Reichova
"Corticothalamic Projections:  Distinguishing Drivers From Modulators"
Advisor: S. Murray Sherman, Ph.D.

Brian Chen
"Experience-dependent synaptic plasticity in the adult barrel cortex"
Advisor: Karel Svoboda, Ph.D.

Yufang Shao
"Pincher, a pinocytic chaperone for NGF/TrkA signaling endosomes"
Advisor: Simon Halegoua, Ph.D.

Jiayuan (James) Tong
"Neurofibromatosis-1 Regulated Signaling"
Advisor: Yi Zhong, Ph.D.

Tatiana Boiko
"Differential Targeting of Sodium Channel Isoforms"
Advisor: Gary G. Matthews, Ph.D.

Zheng Li
"Role of Rho GTPases in Dendritic Arbor Elaboration and Their Regulation by Crosstalk and Neural Activity in vivo"
Advisor: Hollis Cline, Ph.D.

Yufang Shao
"Pincher, a pinocytic chaperone for NGF/TrkA signaling endosomes"
Advisor: Simon Halegoua, Ph.D.

Jiayuan (James) Tong
"Neurofibromatosis-1 Regulated Signaling"
Advisor: Yi Zhong, Ph.D.

Tatiana Boiko
"Differential Targeting of Sodium Channel Isoforms"
Advisor: Gary G. Matthews, Ph.D.

Zheng Li
"Role of Rho GTPases in Dendritic Arbor Elaboration and Their Regulation by Crosstalk and Neural Activity in vivo"
Advisor: Hollis Cline, Ph.D.

Pamela Sue Litvak
"Short vs. Long Term Exposure to Stress-Related Hormones in the Rat Hippocampus: Implications for Structure and Function"
Advisor: Brenda J. Anderson Ph.D.

Zongming Pan
"Investigation on Potassium Channel Function in Sympathetic Nervous System and Heart"

Advisor: David McKinnon Ph.D.

Cindy Buckmaster
"Hippocampal Contributions to Declarative Memory in the Nonhuman Primate"
Advisor: Peter Rapp, Ph.D.

Charu Venkatesan
"The influence of postnatal gonadal hormone exposure on circuit organization in the cerebral cortex"
Advisor: Mary Kritzer, Ph.D.

Kristin Demarest
"Genetic Analysis of a Murine Model for Acute Ethanol Sensitivity"
Advisor: Robert Hitzemann, Ph.D.

Deog-Young Choi
"Signaling Pathways for Growth Factor - and Cytokine-Triggered Induction of Neuronal Genes"
Advisor: Simon Halegoua, Ph.D.

Sandra Kim
"HLH Transcription Factors in Taste Receptor Cells"
Advisor: Susan McLaughlin, Ph.D.

Nilay Patel
"Genetics and Haloperidol-Induced c-Fos Response in Mice"
Advisor: Robert Hitzemann, Ph.D.

Christopher Thaler
"Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channels in the Cell Bodies and Presynaptic Terminals of Xenopus Spinal Neurons."
Advisor:Paul Brehm, Ph.D.