Department of Neurology

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

RESEARCH

Contact: parent@umich.edu

SCIENTIFIC MISSION

      Our laboratory is VERY interested in understanding the biology of neural stem cells in the neonatal and adult mammalian brain, and the response of neural stem cells to brain injury. We use a variety of approaches to study mechanisms of brain development, brain injury and the relationship between these two processes. Rodent, zebrafish and human embryonic stem cells are used as model systems to explore the following questions:

•What molecules regulate the proliferation, migration, differentiation or survival of adult-generated neurons and glia?

•What is the normal function of persistent neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain?

•Do endogenous neural precursors contribute to disease pathophysiology in specific brain disorders?

•Can endogenous or transplanted neural precursors be recruited for brain repair after injury?

Our goals are to 1) advance knowledge about the role and regulation of neural stem cells in the neonatal and adult mammalian brain, and 2) to use this knowledge to devise brain repair strategies based on the manipulation of endogenous or transplanted neural precursors.

Our research has been supported by:

National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov/

American Heart Association http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000

Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, Inc.http://www.paceusa.org/

Epilepsy Foundation of America http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/

American Federation for Aging Research http://www.afar.org/index.html

Biomedical Research Council of the University of Michigan http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/orgs/bmrc/

Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE)

The Robert and Marge Alpern Stem Cell Research Fund