First name,Last name,Preferred title,Overview,Position,Department,Individual
Wanhe,Li,Assistant Professor,,Assistant Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n793e9c7f
Alex,Keene,Professor and Department Head,,Professor and Department Head,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n8650c3cf
Jennifer,Dulin,Assistant Professor,"My research focuses on identifying novel cellular and molecular approaches to reconstruct spinal cord neural circuits and restore neurological function after spinal cord injury. We seek to answer fundamental biological questions about how transplanted neural progenitor cells interact with, and integrate into, the injured host nervous system. Our long-term goal is to generate knowledge that will be applied toward the engineering of therapeutically effective human cell therapies.",Assistant Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n97940050
Mark,Zoran,Professor and Associate Dean,"Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology
Research Summary My laboratory studies cellular mechanisms governing the formation of specific synaptic connections between neurons and their targets. These mechanisms include cell-cell recognition and target-dependent induction of the presynaptic secretion machinery. Some of our studies investigate synapse formation of identified motoneurons of the American pond snail, Helisoma trivolvis , following nerve injury in vivo and in cell culture. Since the synapse is the site of most interneuronal communication within the nervous system, an understanding of the development, regeneration and plasticity of these connections is crucial to an ultimate appreciation of neural integration and brain function.
Neural Morphallaxis
We also study a rare form of regeneration called neural morphallaxis in the annelid worm, Lumbriculus variegatus. This organism is ideal for examining behavioral, physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms of development, regeneration and systems-level plasticity. We have defined the neural correlates of escape reflexes, which are reconfigured during morphallaxis. Recently we have begun investigations of synaptic molecules up-regulated specifically during morphallaxis. This model system is emerging as a valuable educational tool in the science classroom.",Acting Associate Provost for Graduate & Professional Studies||Professor,Biology||Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nb36a8003
Paul,Hardin,Distinguished Professor,"A diverse array of organisms including prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes, plants, and animals display daily rhythms in physiology, metabolism and/or behavior. These rhythms are not passively driven by environmental cycles of light and temperature, but are actively controlled by endogenous circadian clocks that are set by environmental cycles, keep time in the absence of environmental cues, and activate overt physiological, metabolic and behavioral rhythms at the appropriate time of day. This remarkable conservation of circadian clock function through evolution suggests that maintaining synchrony with the environment is of fundamental importance. Our understanding of the circadian clock is particularly important for human health and well-being. The clearest examples of circadian clock dysfunction are those that result in abnormal sleep-wake cycles, but clock disturbances are also associated with other ailments including epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, depression, and seasonal affective disorder. The realization that disorders of the sleep-wake cycle such as Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome can result from alterations in clock gene function underscores the clinical importance of understanding the molecular organization of the circadian system.
Work in my laboratory focuses on defining the molecular mechanisms that drive circadian clock function in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We previously found that the core timekeeping mechanism is based on core and interlocked transcriptional feedback loops. Our studies currently focus on (1) defining post-translational regulatory mechanisms that operate in the core loop to set the 24 hour period, (2) determining whether interlocked loops are important for circadian timekeeping and/or output, (3) understanding how circadian oscillator cells are determined during development, and (4) defining mechanisms that control rhythms in olfactory and gustatory physiology and behavior.",Distinguished Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nf27056c4