Neuroscience (NEUR) Faculty

Giovanni Bosco, Ph.D.

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Giovanni Bosco

Oscar M. Cohn Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology

Office: 609A Vail

Phone: 603-646-5241

We are interested in understanding how nuclear architecture, chromosome morphology and chromatin structure are modified in response to developmental cues and environmental factors. We are also interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms through which these modifications function and effect specialized cellular processes.


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T.Y. Chang, Ph.D.

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Ta Yuan Chang

Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Office: 304 Vail

Phone: 603-646-5183

Acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is a membrane protein located in the endoplasmic reticulum. It catalyzes the formation of cholesteryl esters from cholesterol and long-chain fatty acyl-coenzyme A. Cholesteryl ester is the storage form of cholesterol. The first gene encoding the enzyme ACAT1 was identified in our laboratory. We have also purified this protein to homogeneity and characterized it biochemically. In many neurodegenerative diseases, the cholesterol-rich microdomains in the membranes of various cell types are disrupted. We have shown that in mouse models for Alzheimer's disease and for Niemann Pick type C disease, inactivating ACAT1 can divert the cholesterol storage pool, such that the "mobilized cholesterol" can repair the disrupted cholesterol-rich microdomains. Future investigations are directed to develop novel ACAT inhibitors to ameliorate Alzheimer's disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, and atherosclerosis. We will also use biochemical and biophysical approaches to identify the active sites and regulatory sites in ACAT1 and to investigate the mechanistic consequence of inhibiting ACAT in macrophages, neurons, microglia, and astrocytes. 

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Dipon Ghosh, Ph.D.

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Dipon Ghosh

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Office: LSC 334

The Ghosh Lab is broadly interested in the molecular and cell biological processes that help animals navigate daily life. We leverage an integrative approach including molecular genetic, cell biological, and ecological analyses to understand how a relatively simple and experimentally accessible nematode roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans interacts with its environment. Through these efforts, we hope to discover generalizable principles of animal physiology and behavior.

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Allan Gulledge, Ph.D.

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Allan Gulledge

Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology

Office: 601 Vail

Phone: 603-646-5249

Our research focus is the cerebral cortex, an area of the brain that serves as the biological substrate for the higher cognitive functions that define us as individuals. We wish to identify the mechanisms by which individual cortical neurons process and transmit information within the cortical circuit. To accomplish this we employ electrical and optical recording techniques that measure neuronal activity in neocortical neurons under a variety of experimental conditions.


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Marnie E. Halpern, Ph.D.

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Marnie Halpern

Professor and Chair, Molecular and Systems Biology

Andrew Thomson, Jr., MD 1946 Professor

Office:   725A Remsen

Phone:   603-646-5251

The Halpern lab uses the zebrafish model to examine how left-right differences in the vertebrate brain arise and their functional significance. Using genetic, genomic, transgenic and optogenetic methods, they aim to map, manipulate, and monitor activity of neural pathways to understand their influence on behavior.

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MATTHEW C. HAVRDA, Ph.D.

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Matthew Havrda

Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology

Office:   751 Rubin

Phone:   603-653-9933

Dr. Havrda lab is interested in characterizing neurodegenerative and neoplastic disorders of the central nervous system. Work in the laboratory is focused on two main themes: The characterization of inflammasomes and pyroptotic processes impacting the health of the aging brain and the study of how the neuronal microenvironment impacts the initiation and progress of gliomas in adults and children.

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Robert A. Hill Ph.D.

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Robert Hill

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Office:  322 Life Sciences Center

Phone:  603-646-6428

We study the multicellular interactions between neurons and glia in the brain with a primary focus on the development, plasticity, and regeneration of myelinating oligodendrocytes. Techniques include high-resolution optical imaging in combination with molecular labels, genetic manipulation, and sensors of cellular physiology.

 

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Michael B. Hoppa, Ph.D.

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Michael Hoppa

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Co-Director of Integrative Neuroscience at Dartmouth Graduate Program

Office: 324 Life Sciences

Phone: 603-646-8850


We explore the molecular mechanisms that control ion channel localization, expression and function in primary neurons using quantitative optical approaches in combination with genetic and biochemical tools. 


 

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Bryan W. Luikart, Ph.D.

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Bryan Luikart

Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology

Office: 604 Vail

Phone: 603-646-5258

We are interested in how gene mutations that cause autism alter neuronal development and function. To study this we engineer viruses to perform in vivo genetic manipulations and employ electrophysiology and multi-photon microscopy to study the impact of genetic manipulations on neuronal function. 


 

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Dean R. Madden, Ph.D.

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Dean Madden

Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Dartmouth Vice Provost for Research

Office: 408A Vail

Phone: 603-646-5197

Structure and function of ion channels and proteins that regulate their intracellular trafficking.


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Robert A. Maue, Ph.D.

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Robert Maue

Professor of Medical Education, and Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Office: 210 Remsen

Phone: 603-650-1726

We are interested in understanding the mechanisms important for the development and differentiation of neurons in the brain. 


Not accepting new thesis students.

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Kelli Pointer, Ph.D.

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Pointer

Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Member of Dartmouth Cancer Center

Office:    662 Rubin Building

Dr. Pointer is a physician-scientist who completed her MD and PhD in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Wisconsin. She completed her Radiation Oncology residency at the University of Chicago as a Holman Research Fellow. She joined Dartmouth as an Assistant Professor this year and is excited to be a part of the MCB program and mentor students. Dr. Kelli Pointer's research group focuses on ways to overcome radiation resistance in cancer treatments by using preclinical and translational research approaches. The main focus of her laboratory is on glioblastoma, which is the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor. Despite combination therapy with radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery patients with glioblastoma still have poor prognoses. Her lab focuses on identifying biomarkers and pathways of radiation resistance in these tumors that can be targeted and ultimately translated into clinical practice. One focus of her lab is on mesenchymal transformation that paradoxically occurs during radiation treatment and causes resistance, including changes in the tumor microenvironment. Her lab also focuses on understanding the tumor-normal brain interface. The research in her laboratory is translational. Thus, projects involve the use of clinical samples and data, mouse modeling, molecular techniques, and genomic datasets that involve a multidisciplinary approach.

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Surachai Supattapone, M.D., Ph.D., D.Phil.


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Surachai Supattapone

Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Medicine

Office: 311 Vail

Phone: 603-646-5212

Our lab investigates the molecular mechanisms responsible for the propagation of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases, with special focus on infectious mammalian prions.  We also use whole genome CRISPR libraries to study various areas of cell biology in mammalian cells.

 

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Lauren Walker, Ph.D.

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Lauren Walker, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Molecular and Systems Biology

Office:

Phone:

The Walker lab uses a zebrafish model to study how motor neurons find their correct muscle targets to enable coordinated movement. We use a combination of genetics, molecular biology, live imaging, and transcriptomics to understand how neurons interact with cells and signals in their environment to form appropriate connections during development and regeneration.  

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Hermes Yeh, Ph.D.

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Hermes Yeh

William W. Brown 1835 Memorial Professor

Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology, and Neurobiology

Office: 625 Remsen

Phone: 603-646-5264

My lab is interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter and neuroreceptor interactions in the adult and developing brain. Ongoing research combines neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, molecular and behavioral approaches in a mouse model of FASD to study the consequences of prenatal ethanol exposure on embryonic corticogenesis, neurotransmitter receptors, synaptic transmission, and behavior. Our work has unifying implications insofar as the insights gained may be applicable toward understanding the pathoetiology of other neurodevelopmental brain disorders, such as autism and ADHD.

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