Seminar

Tuesday, January 28th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Michael Telias, Ph.D.
“An inconvenient truth: pathophysiological remodeling of the inner retina in photoreceptor degeneration"

Tuesday, February 11th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Chathurika Samudani Dhanasekara MBBS, MS, Ph.D.
“Harnessing Big Data for Neurological Research: Insights from Secondary Data Analysis in Stroke and Beyond"

Tuesday, February 18th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Michelle Mielke, Ph.D.
“Consideration for implementation of blood biomarkers and cognitive assessments in primary care"

Tuesday, February 25th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D.
“S1PR1 drives neuropathic pain states"

Monday, March 3rd, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Adam Baker
“Investigating the Behavioral and Cellular Effects of Vitamin A deficiency in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease"

Tuesday, March 4th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Haobing Qian, Ph.D.
“Revealing the Role of Food Insecurity on Cognitive Aging: Findings from the Health Retirement Study"

Tuesday, March 11th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Caezaen Keshvani

Tuesday, March 18th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani

Tuesday, March 25th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez
“The Role of Reproductive CRES in the Mammalian Brain"

Tuesday, April 15th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Abena Dwamena
“P2X7 receptor inhibition ameliorates ubiquitin-proteasome system dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease”

Tuesday, April 16th, 12:00 p.m.
Graduate Student- Neha Sawant
“Administration of Butyl Ether Minocycline through Food Pellets in Mice”

Tuesday, April 22nd, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Robert Barnes
“Exploring the Utility of Cannabidiol and Buspirone, in Combination for Pain and Anxiety"

Wednesday, April 23rd, 1:00p.m.
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
“Investigating the mechanisms of 10-Butyl Ether Minocycline in an Immune Induced Escalation model for alcohol use disorder"

Tuesday, April 29th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Philip Adjei
“Effects of TLR3 activation on pain sensitivity and temporal immune profiles of brain and blood in male and female FVB/B6 F1 hybrid mice"

Tuesday, May 6th, 1:00 p.m.
Graduate Student- Brent Kisby
“Brain Vascular Dysfunction after Innate Immune Activation Contributes to Excessive Ethanol Consumption"

Tuesday, August 20th, 1:00 p.m.
Graduate Student- Brent Kisby
“Role of brain vascular cell types in a neuroimmune mouse model of excessive ethanol consumption”

Tuesday, September 3rd, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student- Philip Adjei
“Sex-specific effects of TLR3-dependent innate immune activation on alcohol consumption and cytokine profiles in mice”

*Tuesday, September 10th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Yannick Fotio, Ph.D.
“Transition from acute to chronic pain: role of the N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA)”

*Tuesday, September 17th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Mike Burman, Ph.D.
“Amygdala CRF-expressing cells mediate the effects of early life painful trauma on subsequent emotional and pain behaviors”

*Tuesday, October 1st, 1:00 pm
Graduate Student- Neha Sawant
“Alcohol as a Modifiable Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease: Focus on Neuroinflammation and ApoE4”

Tuesday, October 8th, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Tenley Lehman

Tuesday, October 15th, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez 

Tuesday, October 22nd, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
"Understanding the effects of alcohol on genome using ATAC-seq"

*Friday, October 25th, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Benedict J. Kolber, Ph.D.
“From bench to bedside to bytes: Using neuroscience to understand and treat pain”

*Tuesday, October 29th, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Yves De Koninck, Ph.D.

*Tuesday, November 5th, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Angela Ozburn, Ph.D.
“Molecular signatures of binge drinking”

*Tuesday, November 12th, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Damali Martin, Ph.D.
“Future of Population-based studies in aging and AD/ADRD research” 

Tuesday, November 19th, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Caezaan Keshvani

Tuesday, December 3rd, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Robert Barnes

Tuesday, May 21st, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Evgeni Ponimaskin, Ph.D.
“Serotonin receptors: new hope in treatment of dementia?”

**Friday, June 14th, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Xuemin Xu, Ph.D.
"Pathological Role of Mitochondrial Carrier Homolog Protein In Neurodegenerative Diseases”

*Tuesday, January 12th, 12:00 p.m. 
Distinguished Guest -  Rehab Auf, M.D./ Ph.D.
“A Quest to Conquer Illnesses”

Tuesday, January 16th, 10:00 a.m. 
Graduate Student - Zachary Hurtado 
 
*Tuesday, January 30th, 12:00 p.m. 
Distinguished Guest - Alyson Haslam, Ph.D.
“Exploring Aging: Anemias, Adenomas, and Cancer Treatment-Insights into Longevity and Health”

Tuesday, February 13th, 10:00 a.m.
Alejandra Gomez, Graduate Student
“CRES in the Brain Extracellular Matrix – A Key Player in Neuroplasticity and Remodeling”

Tuesday, February 20th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student - Brent Kisby 
“Role of brain vascular cell types in a neuroimmune mouse model of excessive ethanol consumption”

Tuesday, March 5th, 10:00 a.m.
M.D./Ph.D. Student - Robert Barnes
“Evaluating ACEA for Dose- and Sex-Dependent Antinociceptive Effects and Exploration of the 5-HT1a Receptor's Role in ACEA's Modulation of Nociception, Thermoregulation, Motor Coordination, and Anxiety”

Tuesday, March 19th, 10:00 a.m.
 M.D./Ph.D. Student - Caezaan Keshvani
“Expression of ganglioside immunotherapeutic targets in neuroblastoma”

Tuesday, March 26th, 10:00 a.m.
Graduate Student - Philip Adjei
"Effects of TLR3 activation on temporal immune profiles of brain and blood in male and female FVB/B6 mice"

Tuesday, April 16th, 12:00 p.m.
Fan Wang, Ph.D., Distinguished Guest
"Central Pain Processing Circuits" 

Tuesday, April 9th, 10:00 a.m.
Praneetha Panthagani, Graduate Student
“Journey of Butyl ether minocycline through the FDA approval”

*Tuesday, August 1st, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Punam Pokam, Ph.D.
“Insights into cortical excitability at cellular resolution across a spectrum of brain disorders”

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023, 1:00 p.m.
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
"Medication Development for Alcohol Use Disorder: Evaluation of a Minocycline Analog"

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Robert Barnes
“Comparison of the sex- and dose-dependent effects of cannabidiol and amitriptyline in an inflammatory pain model”

*Tuesday, August 29th, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Danilo Boada, MSc., Ph.D.
“Mammalian Peripheral Somatosensory Plasticity and its Role in Chronic Pain Syndromes”

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Neha Sawant
"Protective effects of SSRI Citalopram against Ab and Tau induced toxicities on dorsal raphe in vivo and in vitro AD models" 
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Philip Adjei
“Differential Effects of Nicotine, Alcohol and Coexposure on Neuroimmune-Related Protein and Gene Expression in Corticolimbic Brain Regions of Rats”

*Thursday, October 12th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Harry May
"EZH2 as a potential therapeutic target for MYC(N)-driven neuroblastoma"

*Tuesday, October 17th, 2023, 12 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Lori Knackstedt, Ph.D.
“Nucleus accumbens glutamate homeostasis and addiction: what we learn from animal models considering comorbidities”

*Tuesday, October 24th, 2023, 1 p.m.
Graduate Student- Brent Kisby
"Role of brain vascular cell types in a neuroimmune mouse model of excessive ethanol consumption"

*Tuesday, October 31st, 2023, 11 a.m.
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez
"Sex-specific role and age-related effects of CRES in the brain"

*Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Gladys Maestre, Ph.D.
“Neurodegeneration Research: Crossing Borders for Equity”

*Tuesday, November 28th, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Brittany Dugger, Ph.D.
“Dementia Diversity and Deep Phenotyping”

*Tuesday, December 12th, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Marek Schwendt, Ph.D.
“Metabotropic glutamate receptors (and their partners) in addiction and stress susceptibility”

*Tuesday, December 19th, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Dirk Keene, M.D./Ph.D.
“Modernizing neuropathology: Re-envisioning the modern biorepository to promote functionally-informed, anatomically precise multimodal molecular neuroscience for human brain aging, injury, and disease”

*Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Hongmin Wang, Ph.D.
“Targeting proteostasis for neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases"

Tuesday, February 14th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez
"The role of the amyloidogenic CRES and CRES subgroup in the brain extracellular matrix: key players in learning and memory?"

*Tuesday, March 7th, 2023, 12 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Boris Decourt, Ph.D.
“Developing a Translational Research Program to Test Immunomodulators in Neurodegenerative Disorders: The Example of Lenalidomide”

Dissertation Defense
Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Valeria Jaramillo-Martinez
"Pharmacoperone approach to treat early infantile epileptic encephalopathy associated with NaCT deficiency"

Tuesday, March 21st, 2023, 12 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Guoyan Zhao, Ph.D.
"The molecular mechanisms underpinning selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases"

Dissertation Defense
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Josh Willms
"Novel Tetracycline Reduced Angiogenesis in Mouse Model of Choroidal Neovascularization"

Tuesday, March 28th, 2023, 12 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Jenny Wilkerson, Ph.D.
“Cannabis-related compounds and GABA-B receptor agonists as novel therapeutics to treat pathological pain”

Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Brent Kisby

Tuesday, April 11th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
“IND-enabling studies for FDA approval of a modified minocycline analog as an Alcohol Use Disorder medication”

Tuesday, April 25th, 2023, 12 p.m.
Guest Speaker, Tracy Peters, Ph.D.
"Texas Tech University Research Seminar: Project Frontier, Funding and Teaching"

*Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Xiaobo Liu
"A Novel DSM-V Based Model of Alcohol Use Disorder in Mini Pigs"

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, 10 a.m.
M.D./Ph.D. Student- Harry May
“Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Neuroblastoma  PDXs in Response to Cyclophosphamide and Topotecan”

Monday, May 8th, 2023, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez
“CRES as a functional amyloid in the mammalian brain: A potential link to Alzheimer's Disease”

Tuesday, August 16th, 2022, 12:00 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- I-Chen Ivorine Yu, Ph.D.
“The inflamm-aging axis in microglia and the link to Alzheimer's disease"

*Friday, September 9th, 2022 (12:00 p.m.)
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Yarimar Carrasquillo, Ph.D.
“Circuits and cells for bidirectional control of pain in the amygdala”

*Tuesday, October 4th, 2022, 11 a.m.
Graduate Student- Brent Kisby
“Cell-type Diversity in the Mouse Prefrontal Cortex After Chronic Voluntary  Ethanol Consumption”

Tuesday, October 11th, 2022, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Valeria Jaramillo-Martinez
“A three-month internship at a Biotechnology company – a worthwhile experience?”

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Xiaobo Liu
“Endothelial Cell Heterogeneity and Microglia Regulons Revealed by a pig cell landscape at single-cell level”

Tuesday, October 25th, 2022, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Alejandra Gomez
“CRES and CRES subgroup members as potential functional amyloids in the brain”

Tuesday, November 1st, 2022, 10 a.m.
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
“Maternal immune activation results in complex microglial transcriptome signature in the adult offspring that is reversed by minocycline treatment”

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022, 12 p.m.
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Sid O'Bryant, Ph.D.
"Examining Alzheimer's Biomarkers Across Diverse Populations in HABS-HD"

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022, 10 a.m.
M.D./Ph.D. Student- Trevor Burrow
"ATM by AZD1390 Enhances Radiotherapy in Pediatric Preclinical Models"

Tuesday, December 13th, 2022 10 a.m.
M.D./Ph.D. Student- Peyton Presto
"Mechanisms of neuroimmune signaling in the amygdala in neuropathic pain."

Tuesday, February 1st, 2022, 10:00 am 
*Distinguished Guest Speaker- Cheryl Stucky, Ph.D.
"More than skin deep: Keratinocytes and somatosensation" 

Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Ryan Sweazy
“A missense mutation converts the Na+,K+-ATPase into an ion channel and causes therapy-resistant epilepsy"

Wednesday, February 16th, 2022, 12:00 pm
*Distinguished Guest Speaker- Shaolin Liu, Ph.D.
"Understanding Olfactory Function and Dysfunction –from Cellular Networks to Behaviors"

Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, 10:00 am
Alejandra Gomez- Graduate Student
"CRES and CRES subgroup members as potential functional amyloids in the brain"

Qualifying Exam
*Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, 3:00 pm
MD/Ph.D. Student- Trevor Burrow
“Enhancing Radiation Therapy in Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres in Soft Tissue Sarcomas with the ATM inhibitor AZD1390”

Tuesday, March 15th, 2022, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Xiaobo Liu
“Development of a DSM-V Porcine Model of Alcohol Use Disorder”

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022, 10:00 am
MD/Ph.D. Student - Josh Willms
“Treatment of inflammatory disorders with modified minocycline analogs"

Dissertation Defense
Thursday, March 31st, 2022, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Mariacristina Mazzitelli
"Role of amygdala neurons in the modulation of pain with particular focus on CRF neurons"

Tuesday, April 5th 2022, 10:00 am 
Graduate Student - Brent Kisby
"Cell-type specific gene expression changes in the brain in mice leads to excessive alcohol drinking: role of innate immune system"

Tuesday, April 12th, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Valeria Jaramillo-Martinez
"Function of sodium-coupled citrate transporter NaCT and disfunction in early infantile epileptic encephalopathy"

Tuesday, April 26th, 2022, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Praneetha Panthagani
"Identifying the epigenetic  role of monoamine neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, in Alcohol Use Disorder"

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, 1:00 pm
Distinguished Speaker, Nicholas Gilpin, Ph.D.
"The central amygdala mediates alcohol withdrawal hyperalgesia"

Tuesday, August 24th, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Xiaobo Lui
"Development of a DSM-V model of Alcohol Use disorder in miniature swine and evaluation of novel treatment methods"

Tuesday, September 17th, 2021, 12:00 pm 
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, MSPH, Ph.D.
"Studying Pain and Aging: A clinical Translational Perspective"

*Qualifying Exam* September 27th, 2021, 1:00 pm
MD/Ph.D Student - Peyton Presto
"Role of neuroimmune signaling in the amygdala in neuropathic pain"

Tuesday, October 19th, 2021, 1:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Tamara King-Deeny, Ph.D.
“Impact of sex differences and exercise on osteoarthritis pain”

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021, 1:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Jeannie Chin, Ph.D.
"Circuit and network mechanisms of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease” 

Tuesday, November 11th, 2021, 10:00 am
MD/Ph.D. Student- Trevor Burrow
“The brain-penetrant clinical ATM inhibitor AZD1390 radiosensitizes and improves survival of preclinical brain tumor models”

Tuesday, November 16th, 2021 
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Marc Tambini, M.D., Ph.D.
“Novel rat knock-in models of Alzheimer's Disease"

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, 10:00 am
MD/Ph.D. Student - Josh Willms
"Axonal generation of amyloid-β from palmitoylated APP in mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes"

Tuesday, November 30th, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Mariacristina Mazzitelli
"Differential nervous system functions of mGluR2 and mGluR3"

Tuesday, December 14th, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Tor Wager, PhD
"Chronic pain: From brain circuits to psychological intervention"

June 25th, 2021 10:00 am
Ph.D. Candidate- Henry Blanton
"Sex differences in pain and the endocannabinoid system"

May 11, 2021 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Josh Willms
"Treatment of Inflammatory Disorder with Modified Minocycline Analogs:  Rheumatoid arthritis

May 4, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Mariacristina Mazzitelli
"Pharmacological and optogenetic manipulation of amygdala in pain"

April 27, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Xiaobo Liu
"Development of a porcine model of a DSM-D"

April 13, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Ryan Sweazey
"Mutations in ATP1A1 Cause Dominant Charcot-Marie-tooth Type 2"

April 6, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Trevor Burrow
"The Telomeric DNA C-circle Assay as a Companion Diagnostic for the p53-activating drug APR-246"

April 2, 2021, 11:00 am
Graduate Student (Dissertation Defense) - Ismail S. Mohiuddin
"Narciclasine Impairs c-MYC Activity by Inhibiting DNA-PKcs-Mediated Phosphorylation of OCT4 in Small Cell Lung Cancer"

March 23, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Praneetha Panthagani
"Identifying Biomarkers for Alcohol Use Disorder"

March 16, 2021, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Valeria Jaramillo-Martinez
"Structural insights and classification of the disease-causing mutations in human Na+- coupled citrate transporter (NaCT)"

March 8, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker - Dr. Laura Ibanez
"Biomarker tools for Alzheimer's Disease using high throughput data"

March 3, 2021, 12:00 pm 
Distinguished Guest Speaker - Dr. Bhaskar Das
"Boron Based Probes and Pharmacological Agents for Brain Diseases"

March 2, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker - Dr. Holly Hunsberger
"The impact of anxiety on Alzheimer's disease progression: of mice and (Wo)men"

February 2, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Dr. Haining Zhu
"RNA Metabolism and Translational Regulation in Neurodegenerative Diseases"

January 26, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker - Dr. Nikhil Panicker
"Innate immune responses to alpha-synuclein facilitate its progressive aggregation"

January 19, 2021, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker - Dr. Pooja Jadiya
"Mitochondrial calcium signaling in Alzheimer's Disease"

December 8, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Mariacristina Mazzitelli
"Optogenetic manipulation of amygdala CRF neurons in pain"

December 1, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Peyton Presto
"Neuron-microglia interactions in the brain in a neuropathic pain model"

November 17, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Xiaobo Liu
"Role of MCP-1 and CCR2 in ethanol-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in the developing brain”  

November 10, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Ismail Mohiuddin
"Targeting DNA Damage Response Promotes Antitumor Immunity through STINGMediated T-cell Activation in Small Cell Lung Cancer" 

November 9, 2020, 12:00 pm
National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Dr. Claudio Soto
"The Prion Principle at the Root of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Implications for Treatment and Diagnosis"    

November 3, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Valeria Jaramillo- Martinez
"Molecular Basis for Inhibition of the Na+/Citrate Transporter NaCT (SLC13A5) by Dicarboxylate Inhibitors"    

October 30, 2020, 12:00 PM
Distinguished Guest Speaker - CORE IV Seminar Series
Dr. Thomas Abbruscato
"Nicotine and electronic cigarette (E-Cig) exposure decreases brain glucose utilization in ischemic stroke"     

October 20, 2020, 12:00 pm
Distinguished Guest Speaker- Dr. Andrey Karamyshev
"Defects in Protein Biogenesis and Human Diseases"  

October 6, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Henry Blanton
"Sex Differences in Cannabinoid Analgesia"       

September 29, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student- Trevor Burrow
"The C-Circle Assay for alternative-lengthening-of-telomeres activity"     

September 22, 2020, 10:00 am
Graduate Student - Josh Willms
"Minocycline protects developing brain against ethanol-induced damage"