Members

Members of the Center for Neurobiology of Stress fall into one or more of the following categories: (1) investigators at UCLA, VAGLAHS, Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh, or other campus who are principal or co-principal investigators with peer-reviewed, competitive funding for research in neurovisceral sciences, gastrointestinal disorders, urological disorders, and stress neurobiology, and stress-immune system interactions, particularly related to sex-based differences and whose research directly impacts the goals of the Center; (2) division chiefs in gastroenterology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry; (3) directors or co-directors of programs or cores, or individuals who have relevant roles within the Center and (4) clinicians who have made significant contributions to the main subject matters of the Center.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Million Mulugeta, DVM, PhD at mmuluget@ucla.edu.

Members are listed in alphabetical order.


A B C E F G H I J K L M N P R S T V W Y Z

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Photo of Jeffrey Alger, PhD

Jeffrey Alger, PhD

Professor, Departments of Neurology and Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Jeffry R. Alger received a PhD in biophysical chemistry under the direction of Professor James H. Prestegard at Yale University in 1979. Dr. Alger’s PhD dissertation research focused on nuclear magnetic resonance magnetization transfer. He did postdoctoral training on multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of cells and living animals in the Yale Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry between 1979 and 1984 under the direction of Dr.…More
Address David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA 660 Charles E. Young Drive South Los Angeles CA 90085 Phone: (310) 206-3344

Dr. Jeffry R. Alger received a PhD in biophysical chemistry under the direction of Professor James H. Prestegard at Yale University in 1979. Dr. Alger’s PhD dissertation research focused on nuclear magnetic resonance magnetization transfer. He did postdoctoral training on multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of cells and living animals in the Yale Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry between 1979 and 1984 under the direction of Dr. Robert G. Shulman. During his appointment as assistant professor in the Yale Department of Radiology (1984-1986), he participated in the design and construction of the first Magnetic Resonance Center at the Yale University School of Medicine. From 1986 until 1994, Dr. Alger was a staff scientist, and later a section chief, at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland. During this period he performed some of the first proton MRS studies of human brain cancer and was an early pioneer in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of stroke. In 1994, Dr. Alger moved to Los Angeles and became a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Department of Radiology and in the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center. He was promoted to the rank of Professor in July 2000. His primary faculty appointment moved to the UCLA Department of Neurology in 2005. His current research lies in neuroscience imaging applications of MRI with focus on MRS, diffusion tensor imaging and perfusion imaging. A general research goal is to develop magnetic resonance biomarkers that can assess neurological diseases and disorders. He collaborates with teams doing clinical trials and clinical research studies involving stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral neoplasia, multiple sclerosis and HIV dementia. In 2007 his laboratory acquired a 7 T 30 cm MRI system which is being used to pursue analogous research in animal models. Dr. Alger has co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and by private foundations. Dr. Alger is affiliated with UCLA’s Interdepartmental Program in Biomedical Physics where he teaches graduate level courses in human anatomy and medical imaging. He also supervises the dissertation research of medical physics PhD students.

Photo of John Allman, PhD

John Allman, PhD

Frank P. Hixon Professor of Neurobiology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology

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Photo of Peter A. Anton, MD

Peter A. Anton, MD

Director, Mucosal Immunology Core (CFAR) UCLA Center for HIV Prevention Research (CPR); Professor, Department of Medicine, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases,, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Anton is the Director of the UCLA Center for HIV and Digestive Diseases and co-Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at UCLA. Dr. Anton's research is in the field of mucosal immunology and was initially directed toward identifying mechanisms underlying the neuroimmunomodulatory responses in IBD. His expertise in T cell acquisition from endoscopic biopsies and interest in the mucosal immune system has been applied to the area of HIV pathogenesis.…More
Address 2734 MRL 701922 Los Angeles CA 90024 Phone: (310) 825-1597Fax: (310) 267-2571

Dr. Anton is the Director of the UCLA Center for HIV and Digestive Diseases and co-Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at UCLA. Dr. Anton’s research is in the field of mucosal immunology and was initially directed toward identifying mechanisms underlying the neuroimmunomodulatory responses in IBD. His expertise in T cell acquisition from endoscopic biopsies and interest in the mucosal immune system has been applied to the area of HIV pathogenesis. This has entailed optimizing assays for isolating mucosal T cells for phenotypic analysis by flow and quantitating HIV viral burden in the tissue (both HIV RNA and DNA). His current research uses these assays and other developing indices of mucosal immune response to assess (i) the degree of mucosal inflammation and altered co-receptor expression associated with HIV infection (and associated therapeutic interventions) and (ii) the potential use of the mucosa as a route of HIV immunization. Dr. Anton is active in the NIH-sponsored AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), Mucosal Immunology Focus Group, and in efforts to clarify the role of compartments in HIV pathogenesis.

Selected References:

Cole SW, Kemeny ME, Weitzman OB, Schoen M, Anton PA. Socially inhibited individuals show heightened DTH response during intense social engagement. Brain, Behavior and Immunity. 1999; 13:187-200.

Rawsthorne P, Shanahan F, Cronin NC, Anton PA, Löfberg R, Bohman L, Bernstein CN. An international survey of the use and attitudes regarding alternative medicine by patients with inflammatory bowel disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 1999; 94:1298-1303.

Goode T, O’Connell J, Anton P, Wong H, Reeve J, O’Sullivan GC, Collins JK, Shanahan F. Neurokinin-1 receptor expression in inflammatory bowel disease: molecular quantitation and localisation. Gut (England). 2000; 47(3):387-96.

Photo of Arthur Arnold, PhD

Arthur Arnold, PhD

Director, Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology of the Brain Research Institute; Distinguished Professor, Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, UCLA

We study the biological origins of sex differences, especially in the brain. All sex differences stem from the differential effects of genes on the sex chromosomes. We study the direct efffects of sex chromosome genes on the brain and other cells, differences caused by X- and Y-linked genes. We also study the indirect effects of these genes, for example the powerful sex-specific effects of gonadal hormones.…More
Address Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology Terasaki Life Sciences Building Rooom 1129 610 Charles Young Drive South Los Angeles CA 90095-7239 Phone: (310) 825-2169Phone: (310) 825-9340Website: Art Arnold Laboratory

We study the biological origins of sex differences, especially in the brain. All sex differences stem from the differential effects of genes on the sex chromosomes. We study the direct efffects of sex chromosome genes on the brain and other cells, differences caused by X- and Y-linked genes. We also study the indirect effects of these genes, for example the powerful sex-specific effects of gonadal hormones. Our studies focus on two model systems in songbirds and mice. We exploit mouse models in which gonadal sex (testes vs. ovaries) is independent of sex chromosome complement(XX vs. XY). In songbirds, we study the neural circuit for song, which is structurally much different in males and females. We also study the basic properites of sex chromosomes in birds, and mechanisms of sex chromosome dosage compensation.

Selected References:

Gatewood JD, Wills A, Shetty S, Xu J, Arnold AP, Burgoyne PS, Rissman EF. 2006. Sex chromosome complement and gonadal sex influence aggressive and parental behaviors in mice Journal of Neuroscience 26: 2335-2342 .

Itoh Y, Kampf K, Arnold AP. 2006. Assignment of human X chromosome-syntenic genes to a zebra finch microchromosome by in situ hybridization of BAC clones Cytogenetic and Genome Research 112: 343-344 .

Xu J, Taya, S, Kaibuchi K, Arnold AP.. 2005. Spatially and temporally specific expression in mouse hippocampus of Usp9x, a ubiquitin-specific protease involved in synaptic development. Journal of Neuroscience Research 80: 47-55 .

Itoh Y, Arnold AP. 2005. Chromosomal polymorphism and comparative painting analysis in the zebra finch Chromosome Research 13: 47-56 .

Palaszynski KM, Smith DL, Burgoyne PS, Arnold AP, Voskuhl RR. 2005. A yin-yang effect between sex chromosomes and sex hormones on the immune response Endocrinology 146: 3280-3285 .

Chen X, Agate RJ, Itoh Y, Arnold AP. 2005. Sexually dimorphic expression of trkB, a Z-linked gene, in early posthatch zebra finch brain Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 102: 7730-7735 .

Xu J, Taya S, Kaibuchi K, Arnold AP. 2005. Sexually dimorphic expression of Usp9x is related to sex chromosome complement in adult mouse brain European Journal of Neuroscience 21: 3017-3022 .

Kim Y-H, Arnold AP.. 2005. Distribution and onset of aldehyde dehydrogenase (zRalDH) expression in zebra finch brain: lack of sex difference in HVC and RA at early posthatch ages Journal of Neurobiology 65: 260-268 .

Xu J, Watkins R, Arnold AP.. 2005. Sexually dimorphic expression of the X-linked gene Eif2s3x mRNA but not protein in mouse brain Gene Expression Patterns 6: 146-155 .

Luo M., Yu Y, Kim H, Kudrna D, Itoh Y, Agate RJ, Melamed E, Goicoechea JL, Talag J, Mueller C, Wang W, Currie J, Sisneros NB, Wing RA, Arnold AP. 2005. Utilization of a zebra finch BAC library to determine the structure of an avian androgen receptor genomic region Genomics 87: 181-190 .