Ongoing Researchers
Mazen Alborno Lab
Research Focus: Motor and Cognitive Disorders
Without being conscious of it, our motor system is constantly solving computationally challenging problems in ways that astonish both roboticists and neuroscientists. We develop computational models of animal movement to understand how the brain generates movement and design novel rehabilitation therapies and assistive devices for patients with movement disorders. We collaborate closely with neuroscientists, clinicians and roboticists to study the brain and help patients achieve a better quality of life.
Email:mazen.alborno@ucdenver.edu
John Bankston Lab
Research Focus: Cardiovascular/Pulmonary/Renal/GI Physiology Cellular Physiology Ion Channels & Biophysics Macromolecular Structure
We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of cellular excitability in the heart and brain. Our focus is on two different families of ion channels, the acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-modulated (HCN) channels. We study the structural and physiological mechanisms of channel function for each class of channel including how these channels are regulated by other proteins as well as the lipid membrane. To do this we use a combination of patch clamp, FRET, single-molecule fluorescence, and biochemistry.
Email:john.bankston@cuanschutz.edu
Ulli Bayer Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Ion Channels & Biophysics Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neurobiology of Stroke Neuropharmacology Signal Transduction Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity
Our field is molecular and cellular neuroscience. Specifically, we are interested in the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying learning, memory and cognition. We also want to know how these mechanisms go wrong in disease, and how this could be repaired by new therapeutic strategies.
Email:ulli.bayer@cuanschutz.edu
Brianne Bettcher Lab
She sees patients clinically at the Memory Disorders Clinic, and specializes in early age of onset and atypical presentations of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Bettcher’s research laboratory is focused on the neurobiology of aging, and seeks to understand the role of immune system dysfunction in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bettcher uses neuroimaging, cognitive testing, blood markers, and molecular imaging in her research studies to better understand what puts people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and what protects aging adults from developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Brianne Bettcher (cuanschutz.edu)
Lab: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus – Aurora, CO (coloradoagingbrain.org)
Kimberly Bruce Profile
Research Focus: Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Neuroendocrinology Neuropharmacology
Many neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are more prevalent in women and have a marked impact on physical and mental health. Female sex is a major risk factor for late-onset AD, and females carrying the APOE4 gene are more likely to develop severe AD. Despite these well-known associations, the reason for this increased risk is unclear. Recent work from Dr. Bruce's laboratory has shown that females have enhanced fat and cholesterol metabolism in specialized brain cells, which may be detrimental in the presence of AD risk factors such as APOE4.
Email:kimberley.bruce@cuanschutz.edu
Isabella Buard Profile
Research Focus: am a neurophysiologist with a unique scientific trajectory from lab bench to pre-clinical and clinical research. I have studied brain correlates of motor development, function and dysfunction using diverse models, ranging from single brain cells to neuronal networks, in both animals and humans with or without neurological disorders. The focus of my current research is on the neurophysiology of motor dysfunction in movement disorders, particularly understanding the underlying neuropathophysiology and testing novel treatment approaches using diverse brain imaging techniques such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). I am also investigating the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a tool to modulate brain networks dynamic and assess excitation/inhibition (im)balance in cortical regions. Finally, I am integrating these state-of-the-art techniques with experimental paradigms relying on the neurophysiological analysis of sensorimotor control to provide an inclusive view of the neural control of movement.
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/22284
Email: isabelle.buard@cuanschutz.edu
John Caldwell Profile
Research Focus: Cell Biology Ion Channels & Biophysics Neuroengineering Optogenetics
Alzheimer’s Disease is associated with plaques of beta amyloid protein in the brain. Beta amyloid is a cleavage product of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The structure of APP suggests that it acts as an adhesion molecule and/or a signaling receptor, but the normal function of this protein remains unknown. APP is located at synapses in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We are using transgenic mice that express truncated APP to study the role of APP in establishing and maintaining the structure and function of the neuromuscular synapse.
Email:john.caldwell@cuanschutz.edu
Christina Coughlan Profile
Dr. Coughlan’s research interests are focused on finding biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and screening drugs for their ability to inhibit the development and progression of AD. Dr. Coughlan received her BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology and Toxicology and her PhD in Pharmacology from University College Dublin, Ireland. As a postdoctoral fellow at Ninewells Hospital and Medical school in Scotland, Dr. Coughlan received an Alzheimer’s Disease Society of Great Britain fellowship, an award only granted to ten in the UK at that time. Previous to joining UC Denver, Dr. Coughlan did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and was an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Denver.
https://www.coloradoagingbrain.org/our-team/
Jason Christie Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Ion Channels & Biophysics Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuropharmacology Optogenetics Other Systems Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity
The Christie Lab endeavors to understand the neural-circuit-mechanisms that underlie the learning-dependent optimization of behavior. The lab’s approach mainly focuses on the cerebellum, a brain region that guides adaptive updating of simple reflexive movements as well as experience-driven refinement of high-order brain function (e.g., thinking, planning, and decision making).
Email:jason.m.christie@cuanschutz.edu
James Carollo
Director: Center for Gail and Movement Analysis
Dr. Carollo is interested in improved gait analysis methods, mathematical modeling of locomotion, measurement of dynamic center of gravity displacement, and characterization of neuromuscular stiffness. He furthers this research through the Center for Gait and Movement Analysis (CGMA), the first and only clinical movement analysis laboratory in Colorado and the only program at Children's Hospital to evaluate both children and adults. The CGMA's mission is to comprehensively analyze movement disorders associated with neuromuscular and orthopedic conditions using advanced measurement tools and a unique multidisciplinary approach. The goal is to identify critical gait abnormalities and recommend comprehensive treatment to restore functional ambulation in any individual with less than optimal walking performance.
https://engineering.ucdenver.edu/bioengineering#Carollo
Email: james.carollo@cuanschutz.edu
Mark DellAcqua Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Ion Channels & Biophysics Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuropharmacology Signal Transduction Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity
My laboratory’s specific research in the area of neuropharmacology focuses on understanding how cAMP and calcium second messenger signaling pathways are organized at the postsynaptic specializations of excitatory neuronal synapses.
Email:mark.dellacqua@cuanschutz.edu
I am leading a project aimed at developing innovative functional assays that will improve the application of retinal organoid disease models to the pre-clinical validation of drugs with therapeutic potential for retinal degenerative diseases. And through productive collaborations with the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the University of Colorado Alzheimer's and Cognition Center (CUACC), I am advancing exciting research into the ocular manifestations of Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.
Gidon Felson Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Cellular Physiology Molecular Nutrition & Metabolic Systems Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuroengineering Optogenetics Other Systems
My lab is interested in how the nervous system makes and acts upon decisions. We use electrophysiological, behavioral, pharmacological, molecular, and computational methods to study how sensory representations are transformed into plans for motor output. We are interested in how these processes occur in the normal brain, as well as how they are affected by pathological conditions.
Email:gidon.felsen@cuanschutz.edu
Ann-Charlotte (Lotta) Granholm Bentley Profile
Research Focus: Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuropharmacology
The focus in my laboratory is on neuroplasticity and aging, especially related to neurodegenerative diseases. An important line of work in the lab is to understand biological mechanisms for cognitive impairment in Down Syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer’s disease. The overall goal of the laboratory is to develop treatment strategies for Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease in animal and human studies, and to develop novel biomarkers that can lead to earlier detection and hence preventative treatment options. We also study intracranial transplantation in Parkinson’s disease, and a third project is focused on biomarkers for sports-related TBI.
Email:ann-charlotte.granholm-bentley@cuanschutz.edu
Granholm-Bentley Faculty Profile
Samuel Guzman
Research Focus: Neurodegeneration and Epilepsy
Neuropathologist and Head of Neuropathology Education Program and Neuroautopsy
Email Address:samuel.j.guzman@cuanschutz.edu
Patricia Heyn
Dr. Heyn has been involved in rehabilitation and gerontological research for over 20 years. She is well-known for her research on the prevention and intervention of Alzheimer’s disease through exercise treatments and her meta-analysis study is recognized as one of the most cited articles from the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is Altmetric highly scored. She is the associate editor of The Gerontologist, Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, and the BMC Geriatrics in addition to serve in many highly cited peer-reviewed boards. She holds important leadership roles in the 1) Gerontological Society of America; 2) Neurodegenerative Diseases Networking Group from the ACRM; 3) Complementary and Integrated Rehabilitation Medicine Group from the ACRM; 4) Geriatric Rehabilitation Networking Group (GRNG) from the ACRM, and 5) American College of Sport Medicine. She has been involved in many international scientific activities and her research has been featured in the La Nación, Argentina's leading newspaper and is frequently cited in various media such as HealingWell.com, WIKIBOOKS, ABC 7 News and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Email: patricia.heyn@cuanschutz.edu
Matthew Kennedy Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Neuroengineering Neuropharmacology Optogenetics Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity
We study how synapses in the central nervous system are modified by experience, with the ultimate goal of understanding how these mechanisms contribute to normal cognitive function and how they break down in various brain diseases and disorders.
Email:matthew.kennedy@cuanschutz.edu
Daniel Kramer
Neurosurgeon: Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s, Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders.
Research Focus: His research areas are focused on the interpretation of neural signals and the communication between brain areas, particularly to produce movement and somatosensation. He spent a dedicated research year under an NIH grant at CalTech, working on brain computer interface, where the human brain interfaces directly with machines to restore motor and sensory function to paralyzed individuals, and went on to continue this type of work at Stanford. He is currently collaborating to develop a brain computer interface program at CU.
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/32854
Email: daniel.r.kramer@cuanschutz.edu
Aurelie Ledreux Profile
Research Focus: Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Motor and Cognitive Disorders
My current research interests encompass neurodegenerative diseases and healthy brain aging. My lab uses clinical samples as well as animal models to investigate neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation as underlying mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome as well as traumatic brain injury.
Email:aurelie.ledreux@cuanschutz.edu
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Wendy Macklin
Wendy Macklin Profile: Chair, Cell & Developmental Biology Department. Research interests: Signaling mechanisms that regulate oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination, The impact of ischemia on actively myelinating oligodendrocytes, Demyelination induced by antibodies cloned from multiple sclerosis patients and Identification of small molecules that enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation
Email: Wendy.macklin@cuanschutz.edu
Daniel Matlock
Research Focus: aimed at fundamentally changing and improving how patients make decisions around invasive technologies. He has been funded under an NIH career development award, three NHLBI RO1s (two Co-I, one PI), and four PCORI projects studying shared decision making among older adults making decisions around invasive technologies. He has participated in the American College of Cardiology’s shared decision making task force and he is also an active participant of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards writing committee. Recently, he has also been named Director of Implementation Research for the Denver Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center.
Email: daniel.matlock@cuanschutz.edu
Richard McClintock Profile
Richard is an older adult research specialist (OARS), having graduated from the inaugural CU Multidisciplinary Center on Aging OARS training class in June. Rich brings an extensive public interest research background, having served as executive director of several nonprofits during his thirty-year career in Colorado as a public interest advocate. Rich received his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and is a magna cum laude graduate of Colorado College. In addition to his research studies recruitment role with the CU Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center (CUACC) focused on the SESAD trial, Rich works one day a week with the CU Center on Aging and other OARS colleagues to put on research roadshows around the state as well as provide an OARS consult service for principal investigators on campus.
https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/alzheimer/about/directory/research-staff/richard-mcclintock
Email: richard.mcclintock@cuanschutz.edu
Brice McConnell Profile
Research Focus: Relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s. Behavioral Neurologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, he is involved with clinical trials at the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center
Email: Brice.mcconnell@cuanschutz.edu
Steven Ojemann
Research Focus: Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease and other Neurological Disorders.
Neurosurgeon: Director, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/16415
Email: steven.ojemann@cuanschutz.edu
John O’Shaughnessy Profile
Research Focus: Clinical Research Services Principal Professional for the University of Colorado (CU) Alzheimer’s and Cognition Center. He obtained a M.S. in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern University. He has extensive experience in clinical, research, and clinical trial assessment of cognition across indications, including all stages of Alzheimer’s disease (preclinical to severe AD), other neurodegenerative disorders, and serious psychiatric illness, including over 25 FDA-approved clinical trials related to Alzheimer’s disease. John manages interventional clinical trials for the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, including both industry and internally sponsored. Prior to joining the CU Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, he was Research Clinician for clinical research in neurosciences at a large heath system in Illinois.
https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/alzheimer/about/directory/research-staff/john-o'shaughnessy
https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/alzheimer/about/directory/research-staff
Email: John.Oshaughnessy@cuanschutz.edu
Victoria Pelak Profile
She specializes in assessing and treating patients with visual problems related to neurological diseases, and she has clinical expertise in vision symptoms related to Alzheimer’s disease, Posterior Cortical Atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and similar disorders. She built and founded the Brain and Vision Laboratory at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in order to study higher order visual perception, and she has a particular research interest in visual motion processing. She is the study physician on the LIIA project.
Victoria Pelak (cuanschutz.edu)
https://www.coloradoagingbrain.org/our-team/
Email: victoria.pelak@cuanschutz.edu
Manisha Patel Lab
Research Focus: Epilepsy Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuropharmacology
The overarching theme of the Patel laboratory is to understand the role of redox processes and metabolic mechanisms in epilepsy, aging and toxicant-induced brain injury. Using biochemical, metabolic, transgenic and translational approaches, research in the laboratory is focused on three major areas: a) understanding the mechanisms of redox and metabolic dysfunction in response to epileptogenic insults, b) developing neuroprotective drugs and therapies and c) identifying metabolic targets of ketogenic diets.
Email:manisha.patel@cuanschutz.edu
Abigail Person Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Motor and Cognitive Disorders Optogenetics Other Systems
Abigail Person's laboratory studies the contribution of the cerebellum to motor control, focusing on circuit mechanisms that support smooth, precise movement. A central idea in cerebellar physiology is that the position of the body is monitored via copies of motor commands conveyed by "corollary discharge pathways". By combining physiology, optogenetics, anatomical methods, and behavior we address how cerebellar circuitry makes movements precise. These topics are at the heart of the role of the cerebellum as a sensorimotor integrator. Disorders of this circuitry are hypothesized to contribute to some aspects of disorders such as autism and schizophrenia as well as broad motor disturbances seen in cerebellar ataxias.
Email:abigail.person@cuanschutz.edu
Peter Pressman Profile
Research Focus: Dr. Pressman is a behavioral neurologist who specializes in frontotemporal dementias and primary progressive aphasias, and is particularly interested in verbal and nonverbal communication deficits in neurodegenerative disease. He is also interested in developing new technology to ease access to appropriate resources and care for patients with cognitive conditions and their loved ones.
Email: Peter.pressman@cuanschutz.edu
Jennifer Portz Profile
Research Focus: My mission is to advance social work research in palliative care by developing digital health interventions that can be used by patients with serious illnesses, their caregivers, and family to effectively improve patient-family centered outcomes. Digital health, including tele-heath, wearable devices, and mobile applications (mHealth), provides modern opportunities for patients and their convoy to assess and advocate for basic palliative care needs and resources. Over the next few years, my career development award (CDA) funded research will focus on addressing two major digital health knowledge gaps: 1) applying digital health to palliative care, and 2) determining how to design digital tools for older patients, their caregivers, and family (multiple, simultaneous, age-diverse users).
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/29113
Email: Jennifer.portz@cuanschutz.edu
Huntington Potter Profile
Research Focus: Chromosome Biology Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Motor and Cognitive Disorders
Dr. Potter and other University of Colorado Alzheimer’s and Cognition researchers are developing novel diagnostics and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS), which invariably leads to AD brain pathology by age 30-40. Research spans multiple approaches from biochemistry, cell and chromosome biology, exosomes, cerebral organoids, drug repurposing, and animal models, and then translating the discoveries into diagnostic and intervention trials in humans. One recombinant protein drug discovered by this process has benefited AD patients in its first clinical trial and is being further tested in AD and DS. Several other molecules show great promise.
Email:huntington.potter@cuanschutz.edu
Subbiah Puguzhenthi Profile
Research Focus: Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's
SIRT3 Deficiency-mediated Metabolic Dysregulation in Comorbid Alzheimer's Disease.
Email:subbiah.pugazhenthi@cuanschutz.edu
Darleen Sandoval Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Molecular Nutrition & Metabolic Systems Neuroendocrinology Other Systems
The Sandoval Lab conducts a variety of research studies focused on the role of the gut-brain-axis on regulating body weight and metabolism with the aim to gain a better understanding the role of the gut-brain axis in physiology and in the pathophysiology of obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We use a combination of techniques including genetic mouse models, bariatric surgery, and in depth metabolic phenotype including in vivo assessment of glucose and lipid metabolism.
Email:darleen.sandoval@cuanschutz.edu
Tamim Shaikh Profile
Research Focus: Down Syndrome & Alzheimer's Motor and Cognitive Disorders Other Developmental Disorders
My research focuses on three major areas; i) Copy Number Variation in Human Disease, ii) Genome Instability and Mechanisms of Rearrangement and iii) Discovery and Functional Characterization of Candidate Disease Genes.
Email:tamim.shaikh@cuanschutz.edu
Katharine Smith Lab
Research Focus: Accepting Students Ion Channels & Biophysics Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neurobiology of Stroke Neuropharmacology Psychiatric Disorders & Functional Imaging Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity
Research in our lab is focused on understanding how the excitability of neurons is regulated by excitatory and inhibitory synaptic plasticity. Many neuropsychiatric diseases and brain pathologies exhibit alterations in neuronal excitability in key brain regions associated with learning and memory. Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of how excitatory and inhibitory synapses function together to maintain appropriate excitability of the neuron, and how this is disrupted in diseases such as autism and schizophrenia. To reach this goal we image both excitatory and inhibitory synapses using cutting-edge microscopy, including super-resolution imaging, supported by electrophysiology and biochemical analysis.
Email:katharine.r.smith@cuanschutz.edu
Ashesh Thaker Profile
Neuroradiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He grew up in Greeley and attended CU Boulder – go Buffs! He completed medical school at UCLA, residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Thaker’s research interests focus on applying advanced neuroimaging techniques, predominantly MRI and PET, to the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders. He works closely with the team to ensure research imaging studies are safe and contribute to our understanding of neurologic disease. In his spare time, Ashesh stays busy with his two young sons and enjoys the Colorado outdoors.
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/24129
https://www.coloradoagingbrain.org/our-team/
Email: ashesh.thaker@cuanschutz.edu
John Thompson Profile
Research Focus: Motor and Cognitive Disorders Neuroengineering Other Systems
The goal of research in my lab is to understand how the central nervous system converts incoming sensory stimuli into motor commands in human subjects. I have established robust collaborations with clinicians in the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery focused on human neuroscience that combines neuroimaging, neurophysiology, and behavior. In addition, I have built a highly successful computational neuroscience lab based on the acquisition and analysis of invasive human electrophysiology, including single neuron recordings from deep brain stimulation patients and multi-electrode local field potential recordings from patients with refractory epilepsy. This effort is twofold, to improve treatment and therapeutic outcomes as well as improve our understanding of normal and pathological brain function.
Email:john.a.thompson@cuanschutz.edu
Natalia Vergara Profile
Research Focus: I am leading a project aimed at developing innovative functional assays that will improve the application of retinal organoid disease models to the pre-clinical validation of drugs with therapeutic potential for retinal degenerative diseases. And through productive collaborations with the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the University of Colorado Alzheimer's and Cognition Center (CUACC), I am advancing exciting research into the ocular manifestations of Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/26903
Email: Natalia.vergara@cuanschutz.edu
Xiaoli Yu Profile
Research Focus: Ologoclonal bands in Multiple Sclerosis; Biomarkers in MS
https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/7376
Email: xiaoli.yu@cuanschutz.edu