# overview
My research focuses on developing a mechanistic understanding of neurodegeneration, with the goal of discovering novel strategies to treat neurodegenerative disorders. In this regard, I am interested in two primary areas: (1) Understanding the role of astrocytes in neurodegeneration and (2) Elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying the known neuroprotective effects of nicotine in Parkinson's disease.

We utilize a broad range of techniques spanning the spectrum from molecules to mice. Our methods include stereotaxic injections of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) into the mouse brain, advanced imaging techniques such as Ca2+ imaging in live brain slices using genetically encoded calcium sensors (GCaMPs), in vitro and slice electrophysiology, advanced molecular biology, including creation of transgenic mice and tissue culture.

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1.1 Normal Biological Development And Functioning

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1.1 Normal Biological Development And Functioning

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Fragments Per Kilobase Per Million Mapped Reads

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Database For Annotation, Visualization And Integrated Discovery

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S100 Calcium Binding Protein Beta Subunit

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Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (mif)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
University of Pittsburgh - (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
University of Pittsburgh - (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States)

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University of Mumbai - (Mumbai, Maharashtra, India)

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California Institute of Technology - (Pasadena, California, United States)

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Ca(2+) signaling in astrocytes from Ip3r2(-/-) mice in brain slices and during startle responses in vivo.

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Psychiatric drugs bind to classical targets within early exocytotic pathways: therapeutic effects.

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Aging reduces calreticulin expression and alters spontaneous calcium signals in astrocytic endfeet of the mouse dorsolateral striatum.

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Methods and systems for detection of stoichiometry by forster resonance energy transfer

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New Transgenic Mouse Lines for Selectively Targeting Astrocytes and Studying Calcium Signals in Astrocyte Processes In Situ and InVivo.

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Abstract TP271: Sex Specific Regulation of Astrocytic Mitochondrial Function by Microrna (mir)20a-3p Under Ischemic Conditions

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In situ characterization of calcium fluxes in astrocytic mitochondria from the mouse striatum and hippocampus

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Magnetic Fields and Magnetically Stimulated Gold-Coated Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Differentially Modulate L-Type Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Activity in Midbrain Neurons

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LRRK2 regulates innate immune responses and neuroinflammation during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

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Live-cell imaging of single receptor composition using zero-mode waveguide nanostructures.

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Pharmacological chaperoning of nicotinic receptors begins in the endoplasmic reticulum: High-resolution imaging

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GECIquant: Semi-automated Detection and Quantification of Astrocyte Intracellular Ca2+ Signals Monitored with GCaMP6f

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Characterizing functional 62 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in vitro: mutant 2 subunits improve membrane expression, and fluorescent proteins reveal responsive cells.

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Astrocytic mitochondria in adult mouse brain slices show spontaneous calcium influx events with unique properties.

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HSV vectors for gene therapy of chronic pain.

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Pharmacological chaperoning of nicotinic receptors begins in the endoplasmic reticulum: Compartments and stoichiometries

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Cellular Basis Of Nicotine-induced nAChr Upregulation

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72 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors assemble, function, and are activated primarily via their 7-7 interfaces.

# publications[].publisher
American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)

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Pharmacological chaperoning of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors reduces the endoplasmic reticulum stress response.

# publications[].publisher
American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)

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Transcriptional regulation by nicotine in dopaminergic neurons.

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Nicotine is a selective pharmacological chaperone of acetylcholine receptor number and stoichiometry. Implications for drug discovery.

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MicroRNA (miR)20a-3p preserves astrocyte mitochondrial function under ischemic conditions

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Frster resonance energy transfer (FRET) correlates of altered subunit stoichiometry in cys-loop receptors, exemplified by nicotinic 42.

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Adeno-Associated Virus Expression of -Synuclein as a Tool to Model Parkinson's Disease: Current Understanding and Knowledge Gaps.

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Smoking-Relevant Nicotine Concentration Attenuates the Unfolded Protein Response in Dopaminergic Neurons.

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Pharmacological chaperoning of nAChRs: a therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease.

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Extracellular S100B inhibits A-type voltage-gated potassium currents and increases L-type voltage-gated calcium channel activity in dopaminergic neurons.

# publications[].label
Aging reduces calreticulin expression and alters spontaneous calcium signals in astrocytic endfeet of the mouse dorsolateral striatum

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Reliable Identification of Living Dopaminergic Neurons in Midbrain Cultures Using RNA Sequencing and TH-promoter-driven eGFP Expression.

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Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Alters Functional Properties of CA1 Hippocampal Neurons in Mouse Brain Slices.

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Trafficking of alpha4* nicotinic receptors revealed by superecliptic phluorin: effects of a beta4 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated mutation and chronic exposure to nicotine.

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Extracellular S100B alters spontaneous Ca2+ fluxes in dopaminergic neurons via L-type voltage gated calcium channels: Implications for Parkinsons disease

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1071. Development and Characterization of HSV-1 Vector-Expressed Dominant Negative PKC epsilon for Pain Therapy

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Engineering an endomorphin-2 gene for use in neuropathic pain therapy.

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Quantifying Spontaneous Ca2+ Fluxes and their Downstream Effects in Primary Mouse Midbrain Neurons.

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Characterizing Nicotine-Induced 4 nAChR Upregulation with Fluorescence Microscopy

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Protein kinase C epsilon contributes to basal and sensitizing responses of TRPV1 to capsaicin in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.

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164. HSV-1 Vector-Based Assay To Identify Inhibitors of the Vanilloid Receptor

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Calcium signals in astrocytes of the fly brain promote sleep.

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Cytisine is neuroprotective in female but not male 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned parkinsonian mice and acts in combination with 17--estradiol to inhibit apoptotic endoplasmic reticulum stress in dopaminergic neurons.

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Nicotine up-regulates alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors and ER exit sites via stoichiometry-dependent chaperoning.

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Imaging P2X4 receptor subcellular distribution, trafficking, and regulation using P2X4-pHluorin.

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Emerging Roles for Aberrant Astrocytic Calcium Signals in Parkinson's Disease.

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An HSV vector system for selection of ligand-gated ion channel modulators.

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Nicotine exploits a COPI-mediated process for chaperone-mediated up-regulation of its receptors.

# researcherOn[].label
Identification of mechanisms by which cytisine and estrogen inhibit ER stress and exert neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

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Development and characterization of an AAV-based tool to functionally ablate astrocytic mitochondria in specific brain regions in vivo

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National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

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DHHS-NIH-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

# researcherOn[].label
Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroprotection by Nicotine in Parkinson’s disease

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American Parkinson Disease Association - (Staten Island, New York, United States)

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GCR: Programmable Nanorobots Integration with Magnetically-Driven Neuron and Brain Tissue Regeneration

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Office of the Director - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# streetAddress
Texas A&M Health Science Center; Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics; 1359 TAMUS