Embedded Files
Barber Lab opens at University of Colorado Anschutz
Barber Lab opens at University of Colorado Anschutz
September 2024
Dr. Danielle Barber, Eisch Lab Postdoc and then Penn Instructor extraordinaire, opened her independent lab in Denver, CO.
Check out the current Team Barber!
2024 Fall CURF Symposium: Eisch Lab undergraduate researchers present their work
2024 Fall CURF Symposium: Eisch Lab undergraduate researchers present their work
September 2024
Congratulations to EL Penn undergraduates Lucía Espina Vaquez, Petros Karamanides, Sage LeLand, Amishi Mahajan, Jean Carlos Reyes, Samantha Smith, and Samar Shroff on their poster presentations!
Kidneys....in space?
Kidneys....in space?
June 2024
We were so pleased that kidneys from our space-irradiated mice could be used as a center point of this Nature Communications paper: Cosmic kidney disease: an integrated pan-omic, physiological and morphological study into spaceflight-induced renal dysfunction
Congratulations to Lori Colón, Fred Kiffer, Sanghee Yun, and Amelia Eisch for being part of this HUGE international study.
June 2023
Behavioral pattern separation: orchestration by lateral entorhinal cortex-hippocampal circuitry (R01MH129970), PI Amelia Eisch, co-I Sanghee Yun. Check out the grant description on NIH RePorter! THRILLED BEYOND BELIEF. Such cool science, made possible by a rigorous team and a fearless lab partner, Dr. Yun.
Part of the pilot data that went into this grant can be found in our contemporaneous publication, which you can freely download here: Yun S, Soler I, Tran FH, Haas HA, Shi R, Bancroft GL, Suarez M, de Santis CR, Reynolds RP, Eisch AJ. Behavioral pattern separation and cognitive flexibility are enhanced in a mouse model of increased lateral entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus circuit activity. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. (2023) Jun 1;17:1151877. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1151877. eCollection 2023. PMID 37324519. PMCID 10267474.
New grant with our awesome collaborators in the Zderic Lab
New grant with our awesome collaborators in the Zderic Lab
May 2023
Early life bladder inflammatory events in female mice lead to subsequent LUTS in adulthood (R01DK135871), PI Steve Zderic, co-I Amelia Eisch, co-I Sanghee Yun. Check out the grant description on NIH RePorter. It is extremely meaningful to work on this grant that emerged from clinical data, and we can't wait to do the work. Thank you NIDDK!
(Also, check out Steve on the Urogenie podcast about this clinical invention he and Dr. Jason Van Batavia made: https://urogenie.com/podcast-2-what-is-the-urogenie-uroflowmeter/)
New review by Danielle Barber and collaborator Ana Cristancho
New review by Danielle Barber and collaborator Ana Cristancho
April 2023
Thanks for providing this thought-provoking overview. Get the free review here: Developmental Brain Injury and Social Determinants of Health: Opportunities to Combine Preclinical Models for Mechanistic Insights into Recovery
New Paper Alert: Female and male microglia are not different in the dentate gyrus of postnatal day 10 mice
New Paper Alert: Female and male microglia are not different in the dentate gyrus of postnatal day 10 mice
March 2023
Co-first authors Danielle G. Barber and Lori M. Colón spearheaded this recent publication in order to identify if there is a sex difference in the number or morphology of microglia —the resident immune cells of the brain — in the hippocampal dentate gyrus at this key early life time point. While the answer is a "No", check out the paper and the two ways they assess this question. This is the first, first-author, basic science paper for both Drs. Guez-Barber and Colón from their time in the Eisch Lab. We are excited to see how this work impacts the field.
January 2023
Three first authors —undergraduates Grace Bancroft (UPenn) and Harley Haas (UPenn) and graduate student Katherine Cotter (University of Kentucky) — from the Eisch and Stowe Labs put together this invited methods chapter in this book on Neural Repair in order to help more neural injury researchers use operant touchscreen testing in their models. This was a terrific effort on the part of the first authors, and will even be useful for the Eisch and Stowe Labs as it will serves as an updated protocol for our own behavioral testing.
Penn Undergraduates Present Posters on their Summer 2022 Research
Penn Undergraduates Present Posters on their Summer 2022 Research
September 2022
Congratulations Penn undergraduates Hannah An, Grace Bancroft, Harley Haas, Amishi Mahajan, and Elise Wallen-Friedman on presenting your EL Summer 2022 work at the Penn CURF Fall 2022 Research Expo! They were among the 350 poster presenters, making EIsch Lab contributions 1.4% of the research presented :)
The presentations and posters from September 19, 2022 are available for viewing for the UPenn community in case you want to see the full posters and hear the students talk through their posters.
WELL DONE EISCH LAB QUAKERS!
September 2022
Shinjae Chung, a faculty member at PennMed, and her group have just published work revealing a noradrenergic-hypothalamic neural substrate for stress-induced sleep disturbances. Dr. Eisch was excited to play a small role in this collaboration between the Chung and Eisch Labs. Once the paper is lifted from embargo, we will link the full text here.
Citation: Antila A, Kwak I, Choi A, Pisiotti A, Covarrubias I, Baik J, Eisch AJ, Beier KT, Thomas SA, Weber F, Chung S.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. In press.
Sofia Nicolayevsky joins Team Barber
Sofia Nicolayevsky joins Team Barber
July 2022
Sofia Nicolayevsky graduated from Haverford (Psychology BS, Biology Minor) and is the first "permanent" member of Team Barber. Sofia, we are so happy to have you join us!
Dr. Lori Colón receives multiple honors!
Dr. Lori Colón receives multiple honors!
May 2022
Dr. Lori Colón won so many awards this spring that she had to defer some of them.
First, she was named a BRAINS Fellow for 2022-2024. BRAINS stands for Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in Neuroscience is a national program dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion in neuroscience. BRAINS uses a unique cohort-based professional development approach to explicitly address the inclusion, retention, and advancement of early career (post Ph.D. and pre-tenure) neuroscientists from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. The BRAINS experience positively impacts participants’ career trajectories, especially in academic neuroscience, and creates a perpetually empowering community. Lori met her BRAINS cohort in September 2022, a week-long meeting that she called "transformational".
Second, Lori was offered admission to the Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES) held at the Marine Biological Laboratory. SPINES has had an outstanding 20+ year track record of training successful neuroscientists from backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience to be leaders in the field, honing a variety of important professional skills, including communicating your science, winning grants, honing quantitative skills and preparing to be a top notch PI. The course attracts 20 leading faculty from across the country to teach our 15-20 students in a 3 week intensive immersion experience dedicated to creating and sustaining an outstanding diverse workforce in neuroscience. Travel, room, and board at MBL are covered. Lori deferred this year, but is excited to attend SPINES in the future.
Finally, Lori was selected to be a Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) Fellow sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience. The NSP is a two-year online training program open to underrepresented graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Building on a 40 year history, NSP provides resources focused on career advancement issues, the research process, and cutting-edge scientific content. NSP participants have access to live events and webinars, educational resources, an online group for those seeking career connections, and guidance from mentors and NSP Alumni.
Dr. Colón, congratulations on a stellar Spring 2022!
May 2022
Stephanie Uroda is a rising senior at Dickinson College where she double majors in Chemistry and Neuroscience. She will work with Dr. Sanghee Yun in her participation in the Penn SUIP program this summer. Way to go, Stephanie!
Two EL members selected to receive CHOP Foerderer funds
Two EL members selected to receive CHOP Foerderer funds
May 2022
The CHOP Foerderer Awards are designed to allow ongoing research to move into new and productive areas, or investigators to apply new research techniques toward novel investigations. Clinical, translational, and basic research projects are eligible. Projects should be designed to result in preliminary data to support extramural funding applications. Proposals involving collaborative research between different groups at CHOP are encouraged. Applicants may request up to $50,000 over one year.
There were TWO successful proposals involving EL members this year. Sanghee Yun (Anesth Crit Care Med) and Jason Van Batavia (Urology) will receive funding for their proposal to assess sex differences in psychosocial stress-induced voiding dysfunction and in the ability of optogenetic inhibition of CRH BN neurons to reverse this phenotype. Danielle Barber (Neurology) and her co-investigator Krithika Lingappan (Neonatology) will receive funding for their study "Sex Differences in the Brain Macrophage Transcriptome after Perinatal Hypoxia-Ischemia". Congratulations to Drs. Yun and Barber!
April 2022
Ifeanna Amaefuna comes to us from Brown University where he is in the Class of 2024. He will work with Ruthie Wittenberg in her studies looking at whether nicotine is a "gateway" drug for later life opioid sensitivity. Welcome, Ifenna!
Sarah Doebley of Team Barber selected for the Summer 2022 Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Research (SUMMR) Program
Sarah Doebley of Team Barber selected for the Summer 2022 Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Research (SUMMR) Program
April 2022
Sarah Doebley is a Temple Medical student who will work closely with Team Barber (led by Dr. Barber, of course) on how young mouse pups use their hippocampus to find their way around a novel open area. We are thrilled to have you join Team Barber, Sarah!
April 2022
The PURM program at Penn matches first and second year students who have relatively little in-lab experience with Penn mentors who eager to train them. We were fortunate to be linked with rising sophomores Hannah An and Elise Wallen-Friedman. They will work full time in Summer 2022 with Dr. Sanghee Yun on their respective projects, and present their work to the wider PURM community at the end of the summer. We are happy to have you on board, Hannah and Elise!
April 2022
Kalida Gowan is a rising senior at Franklin & Marshall (Amelia actually met her there on campus!). For her work as an ITMAT TRIP fellow, she will work with Dr. Fred Kiffer and Team NASA. Woot, Kalida!
Dr. Barber selected to receive CHOP Alavi Postdoctoral Fellowship Funds
Dr. Barber selected to receive CHOP Alavi Postdoctoral Fellowship Funds
March 2022
Thanks to a generous endowment from Drs. Jane and Abass Alavi from Penn, Dr. Danielle Barber has received ~$9,000 to advance her research career. Wonderful, Danielle!
The Eisch Lab has published the First Ever Paper on the impact of 33-ion beam space radiation and mouse behavior in Behavioural Brain Research
The Eisch Lab has published the First Ever Paper on the impact of 33-ion beam space radiation and mouse behavior in Behavioural Brain Research
February 2022
Fred Kiffer is lead author on our new Eisch Lab work titled "Effects of a 33-ion sequential beam galactic cosmic ray (GCR) analog on male mouse behavior and evaluation of CDDO-EA as a radiation countermeasure". One of the most compelling aspects of this work is that it is the FIRST published work to test if and how this 33-GCR simulation — which is to-date the most "Mars-relevant" radiation paradigm that can be used on Earth — influences the brain and behavior of animals, in this case, is male C57BL/6J mice. "Mature" mice (6 month-old at time of exposure to 33-GCR) were used to best match the age of astronauts that will be headed to Mars in the relatively near future.
Using this new, better Earth-based simulation of GCR, Dr. Kiffer and his team members found that mice irradiated were "normal" (the same as "Sham" irradiated mice) in many measures and behavior, including in the "habituation" phase of the 3-chamber sociability test (panel A in the figure accompanying this web blurb). Interestingly, however, relative to Sham mice irradiated mice showed sociability deficits (tested in the 3-chamber sociability "sociability" phase, panel B) and also failed discriminate between a novel stranger vs. familiarize stranger mouse (tested in the 3-chamber sociability "preference for social novelty", panel C) . This paper is the first to examine ANY kind of behavior in mice after 33-GCR, and also the first to examine the ability of a clinically-relevant countermeasure in blocking 33-GCR-induced effects.
Well done, Dr. Kiffer and team! And many thanks to NASA and TRISH for funding this work.
Dr. Eisch speaks in the Penn Neuroscience Public Lecture
Dr. Eisch speaks in the Penn Neuroscience Public Lecture
January 2022
The Winter 2022 edition of The Penn Neuroscience Public Lecture Series was titled "The Hippocampus: A Brain Region Worth Remembering". Dr. Eisch, along with Dr. Doug Coulter (CHOP/PennMed) and Dong Wang (Drexel Med), presented a TED-style talk to give an overview of the Eisch Lab goals and approaches.
Want to watch it? Here's Dr. Eisch's presentation on youtube, and here is Dr. Coulter's and Dr. Wang's. Happy watching!
Dr. Barber selected to receive CHOP "K-Readiness" funded
Dr. Barber selected to receive CHOP "K-Readiness" funded
December 2021
Another big win for Dr. Danielle Barber: her application was selected to receive internal funding of $50,000 to support the first year of the project from January 1 through December 31, 2022. Together with her CNCDP-K12 award (see below), Danielle will now be able to hire an official "Team Barber" technician and accelerate her work on her model of early life brain injury. Fantastic, Dr. Barber, just fantastic!
New Eisch Lab Work in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience led by Ivan Soler and spearheaded by Dr. Sanghee Yun
New Eisch Lab Work in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience led by Ivan Soler and spearheaded by Dr. Sanghee Yun
October 2021
This work, led by Ivan Soler and Dr. Sanghee Yun, is a great example of how the Eisch Lab use of the touchscreen behavioral platform helps us tease apart the "neural circuit" selective impact of whole body exposure to a heavy ion that is present in space radiation.
The title gives away the "take home message": Multi-Domain Touchscreen-Based Cognitive Assessment of C57BL/6J Female Mice Shows Whole-Body Exposure to 56Fe Particle Space Radiation in Maturity Improves Discrimination Learning Yet Impairs Stimulus-Response Rule-Based Habit Learning on The Impact of Space Radiation on Mouse Cognition.
However, go read the paper (linked above) to see the breadth and depth of insight this technology can provide. And well done, Ivan, Dr. Yun, and EL Team NASA!
Dr. Danielle G. Barber is selected as a Fellow of the Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP-K12)!
Dr. Danielle G. Barber is selected as a Fellow of the Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP-K12)!
September 2021
Dr. Danielle Barber is one of 5 (in the entire US) newly selected CNCDP-K12 Fellows!
The Child Neurologist Career Development Program-K12 provides neurology clinical training and research funds for talented, young child neurologists pursuing a research career in pediatric and adult neurology and neuroscience. Scholars receive three years of individualized mentoring and career development by national experts, creating an unparalleled pathway to a transformative career in neurology.
Huge kudos, Dr. Barber! You worked very hard for this and earned it!
Welcome to the Eisch Lab Dr. Lorianna Colón, PhD! and Congratulations on your postdoctoral fellowship!
Welcome to the Eisch Lab Dr. Lorianna Colón, PhD! and Congratulations on your postdoctoral fellowship!
September 2021
Dr. Lorianna Colón, a newly-minted PhD from the University of Albany Neuroscience Graduate Program, has joined us as a funded postdoctoral fellow! Lori is supported by a competitive CHOP Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship; check out her CHOP cornerstone profile here.
Dr. Colón comes to us having successfully defended her PhD thesis "Sex Differences in Context Fear Neural Circuitry and Behavior across Development". She brings a depth of knowledge and range of techniques that we are thrilled to have in the lab. WELCOME DR. COLÓN!
Psychedelic picture of Dr. Kiffer to mark three notable accomplishments
Psychedelic picture of Dr. Kiffer to mark three notable accomplishments
September 2021
Dr. Fred Kiffer has been on a role! Here are three recent things he has accomplished that are worth celebrating:
1) Fred was awarded the 43rd Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly Outstanding Paper Award for Young Scientists. This is a true honor from this field.
2) Fred's recent paper in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Learning and Memory was selected as an "Editor's Pick". Check out the notable paper here.
3) Fred was awarded a competitive third year on his TRISH/NASA postdoctoral fellowship. At that link, if you scroll down to his entry you can even watch him present a recent poster on his work!
Huzzah, Dr. Kiffer!
Ruthie Wittenberg awarded NIH/NIDA Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual National Research Service Award
Ruthie Wittenberg awarded NIH/NIDA Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual National Research Service Award
Summer 2021
Ruthie Wittenberg, a graduate student that we are so pleased to co-mentor (along with Dani Lab), was awarded an individual NIH NRSA!
This is a big deal, folks. Ruthie is investigator the neural basis underlying why adolescent mice given nicotine appear to "like" morphine more in adulthood. We can't wait to see what you find out, Ruthie!
Harley Haas and Jovan Mann named Eisch Lab PURM Fellows for Summer 2021
Harley Haas and Jovan Mann named Eisch Lab PURM Fellows for Summer 2021
April 2021
The PURM program at Penn matches first and second year students who have relatively little in-lab experience with Penn mentors who eager to train them. We were fortunate to be linked with rising sophomores Harley Haas and Jovan Mann. They will work full time in Summer 2021 with Dr. Sanghee Yun on their respective projects, and present their work to the wider PURM community at the end of the summer. Congratulations Harley and Jovan!
April 2021
Sheyenne was selected in Summer 2020 to work with the Eisch Lab via the CRISSP program, but the program was cancelled due to COVID-19 lab shutdowns. We were so fortunate though to host Sheyenne this summer instead. Sheyenne is a rising senior in Penn Nursing, and she will work with Dr. Barber on a mouse model of early life hypoxia ischemia.
Sanghee Yun awarded new NASA HERO grant
Sanghee Yun awarded new NASA HERO grant
January 2021
Sanghee Yun has been awarded a grant from NASA for her application "Exposure of Male and Female Mice to 33-Particle Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR): Negative Impact on Translationally- relevant Hippocampal-based Cognition and Prevention of GCR-induced Deficits by Acute Treatment with the Anti-inflammatory CDDO-EA". This is yet another grant in a series of independent funding secured by Dr. Yun - WELL DONE!!
December 2020
Congratulations to Eisch Lab undergraduate Max Wragan for receiving a Fall 2020 Pincus-Magaziner Family Undergraduate Research and Travel Fund award! Max's research project in the Eisch Lab which she performs under the daily mentorship of Dr. Danielle Barber, is called “Perinatal Hypoxia-Ischemia in the Mouse Brain: Quantifying Brain Immune Cells Using Machine Learning.” Max received $350 toward her research project. CONGRATULATIONS, MAX!
New Eisch Lab Work on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Dentate Gyrus Neurogenesis
New Eisch Lab Work on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Dentate Gyrus Neurogenesis
December 2020
New Eisch Lab work, led by graduate student Lyles Clark, sheds light on what happens to the generation of new neurons in the adult male mouse brain after a mild concussive injury. This work, titled "Mild traumatic brain injury induces transient, sequential increases in proliferation, neuroblasts/immature neurons, and cell survival: a time course study in the male mouse dentate gyrus" has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Neuroscience. This is Lyles' first first-author publication on an empirical study. Way to go Lyles! This work was a collaboration with Akiva Cohen's lab, also at CHOP. Go check out at least Figure 1 from Lyles' work, partially shown here; it is a terrific summary of where neurogenesis occurs in the mouse hippocampus, and what markers can be used to identify cells of different ages/stages of neurogenesis.
Eisch Lab Receives Funds for Research Relevant to Opioid Addiction
Eisch Lab Receives Funds for Research Relevant to Opioid Addiction
November 2020
The Eisch Lab was honored with an award from the Peter F. McManus Foundation for their basic research exploring underpinnings of opioid addiction. Specifically, the Eisch Lab was awarded $75,000 funds to test the hypothesis that a key set of neurons - also called a "neuronal ensemble" - in the dentate gyrus are important for the memory of the context in which an opioid, like oxycodone, was self-administered. This work was a direct result of Dr. Steve Simmons' work in the Eisch Lab. As he was recruited by Alkermes right around the time the award was funded, Dr. Yun has agreed to be co-Investigator on this work after his departure. Drs. Eisch and Yun are extremely grateful to the McManus Foundation for their support for this basic research relevant to opioid addiction.
New work from Sanghee Yun and Team: Do Common Chemogenetic Activators Have DREADD-Independent Behavioral Effects?
New work from Sanghee Yun and Team: Do Common Chemogenetic Activators Have DREADD-Independent Behavioral Effects?
October 2020
Eisch Lab Assistant Director Sanghee Yun and her team have just published a paper "Does chronic systemic injection of the DREADD agonists clozapine-N-oxide or Compound 21 change behavior relevant to locomotion, exploration, anxiety, and depression in male non-DREADD-expressing mice?" Addressing a potential concern with chemogenetic activators, such as clozapine-N-oxide and C21, this work shows a general lack of behavioral effects of these ligands. Negative data, yes, but a very positive addition to the growing literature on DREADDs. Congratulations as well to Dr. Yun on her first senior author paper, and to Fionya and Stella for sharing first author on this work!
August 2020
Dr. Danielle Barber was just awarded funds from CHOP's Black Tie Tailgate philanthropic event! The $5000 she received will support Dr. Barber's basic science research into the cellular underpinnings of sex differences seen in perinatal hypoxia. With these funds, Dr. Barber will be able to purchase essential equipment for her rodent model of perinatal hypoxia. CONGRATULATIONS, Dr. Barber! And many thanks to the Black Tie Tailgate for making this award possible.
Undergraduate Research Fund to Dr. Yun for her work on ketamine, neurogenesis, and cognition
Undergraduate Research Fund to Dr. Yun for her work on ketamine, neurogenesis, and cognition
July 2020
Dr. Sanghee Yun (pictured with one of her wonderful offspring, Ruby) received $50,000 from the University of Pennsylvania's Undergraduate Research Foundation for her project "Fast antidepressant action of ketamine in the mouse dentate gyrus: role of synaptic connectivity and implications for cognition". This work will allow Dr. Yun to hire several Penn work study students to advance her work in this important area. Congratulations, Dr. Yun!
New Eisch Lab work in Neuropharmacology
New Eisch Lab work in Neuropharmacology
May 2020
In the early months of the pandemic this collaborative paper between the Eisch and Barr labs Eisch and led by former postdoctoral fellow Giulia Zanni was published. It is titled "Female and male rats readily consume and prefer oxycodone to water in a chronic, continuous access, two-bottle oral voluntary paradigm". Check out the published work here.
Negative data can be a positive: No influence of morphine self-administration on dentate gyrus neurogenesis
Negative data can be a positive: No influence of morphine self-administration on dentate gyrus neurogenesis
March 2020
Congratulations to co-first authors Sarah Bulin (former graduate student) and Steve Simmons (postdoctoral fellow) on their publication in Behavioral Brain Research. In their work, "Indices of dentate gyrus neurogenesis are unaffected immediately after or following withdrawal from morphine self-administration compared to saline self-administering control male rats", they surprisingly show that dentate gyrus neurogenesis is not changed after several weeks of voluntary, intravenous morphine self-administration. Given the enormous number of publications that show how many stimuli - including opioids - change levels of dentate gyrus neurogenesis, these negative data merit the thorough discussion we given them. Please read it!
Eisch Lab celebrates receipt of a 2020 Grant for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research
Eisch Lab celebrates receipt of a 2020 Grant for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research
February 2020
The Eisch Lab is delighted to announce their receipt of Grant for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) and the Provost’s Office. The successful proposal, "Targeting the Cognitive Basis of Drug Relapse: Role of Hippocampal Circuitry in Extinguishing Opioid-Seeking Behavior in a Rodent Model of Oxycodone Substance Abuse", was spearheaded by Eisch Lab postdoctoral fellow Steve Simmons. Dr. Simmons and Dr. Eisch now turn their attention to identify the ideal Penn undergraduate to work with us during the summer (and hopefully as well during the school year) to work on this project. Interested in working on this project in Summer 2020 and getting paid to do so? Email us! Many thanks to CURF and Penn's Provost for awarding these funds to fund Dr. Simmons' ongoing experiments, and allowing us to train yet another, no-doubt terrific Penn undergraduate in the Eisch Lab. Summer 2020 Update: Haley Phillips was selected to serve as our summer fellow working on this grant!
NASA-funded work from Eisch Lab: space radiation, mice, and touchscreens to test cognition
NASA-funded work from Eisch Lab: space radiation, mice, and touchscreens to test cognition
February, 2020
New from Eisch Lab "Team NASA": our paper in Scientific Reports assessing the cognitive function of astronaut aged mice after exposure to space radiation. The paper Whoolery, Yun et al., "Multi-domain cognitive assessment of male mice shows space radiation is not harmful to high-level cognition and actually improves pattern separation," was made possible by our NASA funding funding and is the among the first to use touchscreen platform to probe cognition in mice after exposure to space radiation. Very notable here is that this was a multi-year and multi-institution effort from former graduate students Cody Whoolery (co-first author) and Phil Rivera, former technicians Ryan Reynolds, Melanie Lucero, Fionya Tran, Rachel Richardson, and Devon Richardson, Ben Chen Lab members Ben Chen and Eric Shih, UT Southwestern Behavioral Core director Shari Birnbaum, and fellow faculty members Sanghee Yun (co-first author), Naoki Ito (visiting professor from Japan), and Ann Stowe (now at University of Kentucky). Well done, team!
New NASA Augmentation Award for Dr. Kiffer
New NASA Augmentation Award for Dr. Kiffer
January 2020
Congratulations to Eisch Lab and NASA-supported postdoctoral fellow Fred Kiffer for winning a Human Research Performance (HRP) Augmentation Award for his proposal, “HZE particle exposure-induced improvement of pattern separation in mature mice: alterations in mission-relevant behaviors and neural circuitry”. Submitted in response to the 2020 NASA HRP Grant Augmentation Competition for Students and Postdocs, and prepared with key guidance from Eisch Lab Assistant Director and Assistant Professor Dr. Sanghee Yun, this award gives Dr. Kiffer a generous amount of money to pursue the question of how whole body proton radiation (and particularly the influence of dose rate of proton radiation) influences mouse dentate gyrus neurogenesis. Well done, Dr. Kiffer!
Above is pictured Dr. Kiffer with his beloved canine companion, Sally (named after famed astronaut Dr. Sally Ride), celebrating his successful HRP NASA Augmentation Award.
Above: Eisch Lab folks post-dinner (plus a few up and coming scientists) Below: Steve, Fionya, Ivan, Ruthie, and Lyles standing strong while Eisch-skating.
Eisch Lab Pre-Winter Break Gathering
Eisch Lab Pre-Winter Break Gathering
December 2019
Thanks to those Eisch Lab folks who came together to celebrate the pending winter break over Cuban food followed by ice-skating (or "Eisch"-skating, as Lyles' partner Alisha called it). While we missed those who couldn't make it (our Penn undergrads as well as Hannah and Kyung Jin), it was nice to get together just as the nights are starting to get shorter.
Ah, Mama Amelia's empanadas!
Raena pictured outside the lab, smiling even before she knew she won this award!
Raena Greenbaum wins funds to advance her Eisch Lab undergraduate research project
Raena Greenbaum wins funds to advance her Eisch Lab undergraduate research project
November 2019
The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) Research Grant Award Committee has awarded Eisch Lab Penn undergraduate Raena Greenbaum a Fall 2019 Pincus-Magaziner Family Undergraduate Research and Travel Fund from the College Alumni Society. Raena - who works closely with Eisch Lab postdoctoral fellow Dr. Steve Simmons and his Teams (Team USV, Team Rat, Team Oxycodone) - will use these funds to advance her project “Role of Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Opioid Abuse and Relapse.” Congratulations, Raena!
New research award to Dr. Bhoj and Dr. Eisch
New research award to Dr. Bhoj and Dr. Eisch
November 2019
The CHOP Office of Faculty Development has awarded Dr. Elizabeth Bhoj a CHOP Mentored Research Pilot Junior Faculty Grant with Dr. Eisch as mentor. This one-year award, Preclinical Mechanistic and Neurofunctional Analysis of a Human De Novo Mutation Underlying a Novel Pediatric Neurologic Syndrome, focuses on novel Mendelian neurodegenerative conditions evident in humans that carry the germline mutations in Histone 3.3 (H3.3), a mutation discovered by Dr. Bhoj. The Bhoj Lab developed a mouse line carrying the recurrent de novo germline missense mutation in H3.3 (T46I) and via collaboration with the Eisch Laboratory will characterize the neurospecific phenotypes of these mice.
Dr. Maja Bucan, Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Research Training and Director of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP) at the University of Pennsylvania, announcing Dr. Eisch's award.
Dr. Eisch, Kiffer, and Barber at the post-ceremony celebratory dinner.
Dr. Eisch is winner of 9th annual 2019 Distinguished Mentor Award
Dr. Eisch is winner of 9th annual 2019 Distinguished Mentor Award
October 2019
Based on letters nomination from present postdoctoral fellows and past Eisch Lab mentees as well, Dr. Eisch has been awarded the 2019 Distinguished Mentor Award from the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP) at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Eisch received the award from Associate Dean, Dr. Maja Bucan, and current Eisch Lab postdoctoral fellow Dr. Danielle Barber at a brief ceremony held on Friday October 11 at the conclusion of the annual Penn Postdoctoral Research Symposium.
Dr. Eisch's receipt of this honor allows her to follow in the footsteps of previous winners: 2018 Chris Pierce (Psychiatry); 2017 Janis Burkhardt (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine); 2016 Shelly Berger (Cell and Developmental Biology); 2015 Rebecca Simmons (Neonatology); 2014 Amita Seghal (Neuroscience); 2013 Klaus Kaestner (Genetics); 2012 Anil Rustgi (Medicine); 2011 Peter Davies (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine).
Post-ceremony picture (left to right): Eisch Lab members Fionya Tran, Drs. Yun, Kiffer, Eisch, and Barber, and presenter and Associate Dean Dr. Maja Bucan. Not pictured: co-nominator and co-cheerleader for Dr. Eisch's award, Dr. Simmons (but definitely there in spirit!)
October 2019
Eisch Lab graduate student Lyles Clark was awarded a travel fellowship to attend the October 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
They will present their collaborative work with the Cohen Lab titled, "Mild traumatic brain injury in the mouse results in transient increase of neurogenesis and sustained survival of newborn neurons".
Congratulations, Lyles!
Lyles doing one of their favorite things: enjoying craft beer. One of their other favorite things? Winning travel awards to talk about their data that is coming out of our collaboration with the Cohen Lab.
First Eisch Lab PURM students: September presentations and celebration
First Eisch Lab PURM students: September presentations and celebration
September 2019
Thanks to Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM), we were lucky to host Priya Kumar and Dana Raphael (both Penn Class of '22) in the Eisch Lab for full-time research experiences this past summer.
Both members of "Team Injury", Priya and Dana presented their independent posters in September. Just last week, they were honored at the recent PURM lunch.
Can't wait to see what you two can do in future months and years in the Eisch Lab.
(Dare we say we hope they are now PURM-anent members of the Eisch Lab?)
Dr. Steven J. Simmons awarded 2019 Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience
Dr. Steven J. Simmons awarded 2019 Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience
August 2019
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is the world’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and the nervous system. One of SfN's main goals is supporting the neuroscience community including lifelong learning and professional development.
SfN's annual Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) recognizes young trainees who demonstrate scientific merit and excellence in research.
As a 2019 TPDA recipients, Dr. Simmons is offered complimentary registration and travel funds to attend the SfN annual meeting in Chicago where he will:
present his scientific poster "Ultrasonic vocalizations during intravenous oxycodone self-administration and context-elicited reinstatement in male rats";
attend SfN Professional Development Workshops;
meet peers; and
network with senior scientists.
Additionally, Dr. Simmons will receive year-long access to professional development opportunities on Neuronline.
Congratulations Dr. Simmons on receiving a 2019 Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience!
Dr. Sanghee Yun awarded 2019 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant
Dr. Sanghee Yun awarded 2019 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant
August 2019
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds mental health research. It was originally called the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression or "NARSAD".
In 1987, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation launched the NARSAD Young Investigator Grant program to help researchers launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry and gather pilot data to apply for larger federal and university grants. Since 1987, they have awarded more than $243 million in Young Investigator Grants around the world.
Dr. Yun - Assistant Professor and Eisch Lab Assistant Director - studies how “recalibration” of impaired hippocampal-related brain circuits can ameliorate depression symptoms. While direct stimulation of the hippocampus impairs memory in humans, Dr. Yun’s team has shown that stimulation of the main input to the hippocampus—entorhinal cortex—improves depression symptoms in an animal model for depression.
Dr. Yun's successful NARSAD Young Investigator Grant will enable her to:
define mechanisms underlying of the antidepressant efficacy induced by stimulation of the entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus circuit; and
test whether stimulation of this memory circuit ameliorates other impairments in patients with depression.
The mechanistic and functional studies proposed by Dr. Yun’s team in a highly validated animal model for depression have the potential to open new avenues of depression treatment.
Congratulations Dr. Yun on being awarded a 2019 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant!
Graduation of the first Eisch Lab Penn undergraduates
Graduation of the first Eisch Lab Penn undergraduates
May 2019
Nana Acquah and Hannah Deutsch, both Penn Class of 2019, graduated with BBB (Biological Basis of Behavior) degrees this May. Both of them completed BIOL499 Honors in the Eisch Lab. The title of Nana's 499 paper was "Investigating Granule Cell Layer Volume and Cortical Microenvironment after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice" and was performed in collaboration with the Cohen Lab. The title of Hannah's 499 paper was "Whole body 12C irradiation in young adult mice: influence on neurogenesis and neural stem cells" which has since been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. We were honored to have Nana and Hannah work in the Eisch Lab these past few years. Best of luck to you both!
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